Matson Navigation Company has confirmed that it will convert the main engine aboard its container ship, ‘Kaimana Hila’, from an MAN B&W S90ME-C10.5 unit to a dual-fuel ME-GI unit capable of running on LNG. In doing so, it is exercising an option contained in a contract it signed with MAN Energy Solutions in June 2022 to perform an identical conversion on a sister ship, the ‘Daniel K. Inouye’. The Kaimana Hila was built in 2019 and MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, MAN PrimeServ, will perform the 3,600 teu vessel’s retrofit.

Klaus Rasmussen, Head of Projects and PVU Sales, MAN PrimeServ, said: “This order is the latest example in an increasing trend of owners choosing dual-fuel retrofits for their existing vessels in service to achieve fleet-transformation goals while simultaneously gaining benefits in terms of upcoming regulations such as CII and EEXI. Retrofitting an MAN B&W engine to dual-fuel running is straightforward as our standard, electronically-controlled diesel engines are constructed as ‘dual-fuel ready’ and therefore readily retrofittable. Such retrofits offer a viable pathway to shipowners that wish to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050.”

“This will be the third vessel Matson is retrofitting with dual-fuel LNG capability. Each retrofit is a meaningful step toward achieving our corporate  sustainability goals to achieve a 40% reduction in Scope 1 greenhouse gas fleet emissions by 2030 and net-zero Scope 1 GHG emissions by 2050,” said Capt. Jack Sullivan, Matson’s Senior Vice President, Vessel Operations & Engineering.

The option take-up comes on the heels of the recent announcement by Matson of  the construction of three LNG-powered newbuilds that will also be driven by ME-GI engines.

Dual-Fuel retrofits – a valid decarbonisation pathway

MAN Energy Solutions continually develops class-leading technologies that enable customers to meet environmental and commercial goals, as well as today and tomorrow’s regulatory standards. Since the first two-stroke ME-GI (LNG) retrofit in 2015, the company has built an impressive list of references and expanded its portfolio of dual-fuel retrofits to also include fuels like LPG and methanol.

Retrofitting a dual-fuel engine is one of the most effective ways to derive greater efficiency and profitability from a shipping fleet. As such, a dual-fuel conversion delivers the fuel flexibility to take advantage of optimal fuel prices; it can also help vessels comply with IMO emission targets and extend their operational lifetimes to bring a greater return on investments.