Germany’s MAN Energy Solutions said it has secured 40 orders for its new ME-GA dual-fuel engine since its market unveiling in March this year.
Volkswagen’s MAN attributed the order surge to the “market’s demand for the latest generation of Otto-cycle, two-stroke engines and the low levels of methane slip it can unlock.”
“We had high expectations for the ME-GA upon its launch as we recognised a strong desire – primarily from the LNG carrier market – for an alternative to our successful ME-GI engine,” Bjarne Foldager, senior VP and head of two-stroke Business, said.
“Judging alone by the fact that ME-GA has won references from all three major shipyards in Korea, these expectations have been met and even exceeded,” he said.
Ultimately, MAN expects the ME-GA to become standard among LNG carriers, according to Foldager.
MAN did not reveal any details of the orders. It recently said South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries would install ME-GA engines onboard six 174,000-cbm LNG carriers which would go on charter to a unit of Shell.
Moreover, MAN Energy Solutions aims to start testing the first, commercial ME-GA design by the end of this year.
The firm expects the first engine delivery in early 2022.