The new MTU gas marine engine has already successfully completed 3,000 hours on the test bench. ?We can now confirm that the engine meets both our requirements and those of our customers: its performance and its acceleration behaviour are similar to the excellent characteristics of a diesel engine. It is economical, reliable and clean,? said Dr. Ulrich Dohle, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG. As of 2018, MTU will deliver the first certified series production gas engines for commercial vessels. Dr. Dohle added, ?We are convinced that gas engines will become increasingly more important as supplements to our proven diesel engines for marine applications. Natural gas is an important fuel of the future. It will be available longer, it is cheaper to obtain in many regions of the world and has a better environmental footprint than heavy oil or diesel.? Future emission regulations will demand even more environmentally friendly propulsion systems than are currently available. In the case of the gas engine, health threatening substances in the exhaust gas have been reduced by 80-100 per cent compared with the diesel engine and greenhouse gases by up to 11 per cent. The new MTU gas engine will meet the IMO III emission standards in force since 2016 with no additional exhaust gas treatment required.

The new MTU gas engines will be equipped with a multipoint gas injection system, a dynamic motor management system and an advanced turbocharger. The multipoint gas injection system is designed to provide the engine?s dynamic acceleration behaviour, increased performance and reduced emissions. The combustion concept ensures that the IMO III emission standards are met without the need for additional exhaust gas treatment. Controlled combustion ensures that fuel is used efficiently. The safety concept, which has been optimised for gas operation, includes double-walled gas supply lines, which means that no additional complex safety precautions are required in the engine room. The successfully completed 3,000 hours on the test bench demonstrate that the gas engine leaves nothing to be desired in terms of the customary reliability of a proven MTU Series 4000 diesel engine.