Propelling Progress at Sea

Bulk carriers dominate international waters and are the backbone of seaborne trade, making up over 40% of the total world fleet operating today when measured in deadweight. It is the bulk carriers moving iron ore, coal, grain, and minor bulks across deep sea routes that define global supply chains. This important transport segment continues to grow along with increasing global market volumes, but the sector also needs to adapt to ever-more stringent emission requirements.

Bulk carrier owners need cost-effective propulsion systems to make their operations profitable. Since bulk carriers can sail in environmentally sensitive areas, their engines need to meet strict limits for NOx, SOx, and particulate emissions. With stricter IMO restrictions, finding high-efficiency propulsion systems with low fuel consumption is key. Operators need the best two-stroke engines that meet low RPM demands to achieve ideal ship designs with highly efficient large propellers. Since the beginning of the millennium, Everllence has provided over 8000 bulk carriers with low-speed engines.

Decarbonising the merchant fleet

Many fuels play important roles in this endeavour, including methane, methanol, and ammonia – among others. Everllence’s strategy is technology-neutral in that it develops propulsion solutions for a broad range of fuels. By 2030, Everllence expects that its engines will help customers to save some 44 million t of CO₂, more than that emitted annually by the country of Denmark. Everllence sees even greater potential for 2050, by which time it expects that over 500 million tpy of CO₂ can be saved with its technology, equivalent to the annual emissions of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the UK combined.

And this addresses both new and existing ships: shipowners will be able to choose between an array of dual-fuel engines as newbuilds, while existing fuel-oil engines will have the opportunity for retrofit to operate on greener fuels. Everllence is actively working with shipowners and shipyards to ensure that its engines can be integrated problem-free into both existing and newbuilding vessels. Furthermore, Everllence engines are designed for flexibility and easy adaptation to new alternative fuels (AFs) and directives from the IMO and EU.

Year on year, Everllence encounters an increasing demand from customers that wish to future-proof their fleet and, at the same time, reduce their environmental footprint. Of the 33 000 merchant ships in the current world fleet, some 25 000 are already powered by Everllence engines, which gives Everllence a unique opportunity to accelerate the maritime energy transition.

Power solutions for bulk carrier propulsion

Everllence two-stroke engines offer several proven solutions for the propulsion of all kinds of merchant vessels, including bulk carriers.

Gas injection engine

The ME-GI (gas injection) is a highly efficient, flexible propulsion solution. With its introduction, Everllence kick-started a new chapter in diesel history, from which bulker vessels have greatly benefitted. Due to the ME-GI engine, vessel owners have the option of using either fuel oil or methane – depending on market prices and availability.

The ME-GI engine has extremely low methane slip and very high fuel efficiency. It is the most environmentally friendly methane-fuelled engine on the market. By the optional use of fuel oil or methane/bio-methane/synthetic natural gas, it represents a highly efficient, flexible, propulsion-plant solution. Technical specifications include:

• Engine speed: RPM to 56 –?167.
• Output: 4350 – 82 440 kW at L1.

Bulker project

In more recent times, Everllence received an order for five 6G70ME-GI Mk10.5 dual-fuel engines in connection with the construction of five 210 000 dwt Newcastlemax bulkcarriers for Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), the Singapore-based shipping company.

EPS sealed an agreement to charter the five LNG dual-fuel Newcastlemaxes to Australian mining giant BHP for a period of five years with the vessels scheduled to carry iron ore between Western Australia and China.

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