Wärtsilä, the marine industry’s leading ship power system integrator, has signed a contract with the German shipowner Jüngerhans, located in Haren (Ems), Germany, to refit two of its vessels with Wärtsilä Slow Steaming Upgrade Kits to cut fuel costs. The 1997-built vessels are equipped with 7-cylinder Wärtsilä RTA62U main engines.
"The Wärtsilä Slow Steaming Upgrade Kits will give these ships considerable flexibility for adapting to the prevailing challenging market conditions. They offer considerable cost savings when slow steaming the ships, while retaining the capability for full speed whenever necessary,” comments Mr Herm Jüngerhans, Managing Director, Jüngerhans.
In response to over-capacity in the market and a desire to cut overall fuel consumption, during recent months charterers have adjusted both their services and the speed of their ships. Slow steaming has become an established way of operating vessels, particularly in the container segment. Slow steaming offers clear benefits for charterers in terms of substantially reduced fuel consumption and considerable savings in overall ship operation costs.
Wärtsilä Slow Steaming Upgrade Kit
For ships powered by Wärtsilä RTA and RT-flex low-speed engines with more than one turbocharger, Wärtsilä introduced its Slow Steaming Upgrade Kit in 2008. The kit enables ship owners and operators to achieve major savings in fuel costs by allowing them to slow steam their ships.
“The Slow Steaming Upgrade Kit both extends the load range of the engine for continuous operation, and significantly reduces BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) in the low-load range,” explains Jürgen Gerdes, Director, Services, Wärtsilä in Switzerland.
The Wärtsilä Upgrade Kit Slow Steaming also helps ship owners, operators and charterers to increase the flexibility of their engines, permitting them to run anywhere from 10% to 100% maximum load without operational restrictions, and to decrease the risk of engine fouling and excessive component temperatures. The BSFC figures that can be achieved are strongly dependent on the final NOX emission balances over the entire load range. For ships that must comply with the IMO NOX emission regulations, the restrictions imposed by the emissions limits will be evaluated in each case and a customized solution package offered.
“Operational flexibility was a major factor in our decision to choose Wärtsilä’s solution. We foresee that the upgrade kit will give our vessels even more competitive advantages. We wanted to have a reliable slow steaming solution in order to be attractive in the market and this gives us an advantage over other charterers,” adds Mr Herm Jüngerhans.
Other orders and first operating results
With the order from Jüngerhans, the total amount of ordered upgrade kits has increased to twelve, and Wärtsilä is already able to assess the initial operating results for its Slow Steaming Upgrade Kit. For an 8-cylinder Wärtsilä RTA62U engine, it was possible to achieve fuel savings of up to 6-10 g/kWh in the optimal load range. On a 12-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex96C engine equipped with three turbochargers, the measured fuel savings of 8-12 g/kWh were slightly higher because the achievable savings are related to the number of turbochargers. Since installation, the vessels have been running successfully and the customers have had the flexibility of choosing whether to slow steam or not.
Related information:
Press Release, 3 December 2008:
Wärtsilä's new Upgrade Kit for Slow Steaming helps to cut shipowners' fuel costs
Link to a picture
Caption: A typical brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) curve for RTA and RT-flex engines, as standard and with the Slow Steaming Upgrade Kit. Note that it is not desirable to operate engines continuously at less than 50% load without modification.
Media contact:
Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund
Senior Manager, PR and Marketing Communications
Wärtsilä Corporation
Direct tel: +358 10 709 1439
Direct fax: +358 10 709 1425
e-mail: marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com
Internet: www.wartsila.com
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2009, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.3 billion with more than 18,000 employees. The company has operations in 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.
Reederei Jüngerhans in brief:
As early as the 19th century, the grandfather of the two brothers Captain Heinrich and Captain Hermann Jüngerhans crossed the Atlantic on the sailing ship "HELENE" heading for South America. The ship, with a length of 24 metres and a load capacity of 220 tons, was built in 1890 in Haren (Ems) for "deep sea" trading.
Seventy years later, the grandchildren Captain Heinrich and Captain Hermann Jüngerhans carried on the family tradition as independent ship owners, launching their first own ship, the MV "STEFAN J", in 1965.
During the following decades, the shipping company developed continuously and with an orientation to the future. Numerous ships were ordered from selected shipyards around the world.
Today, the Shipping company Jüngerhans has launched about 100 vessels.
Due to the constant acquisition of new ships and the sale of older vessels, the company now has a very young and modern fleet. The expansion of the fleet has always been accomplished with a view toward the future. Moreover, the group has expanded through cooperations and investments, therefore securing its market position and opening up new areas of activity.
