MTU’S first 16v 4000 Mobile Gas Engines for the Netherlands

Two ferries fitted with MTU’s very first 16V 4000 mobile gas engines – The Willem Barentzs and the Willem de Vlamingh – will go into service in The Netherlands in Spring 2020 for the ferry operator Rederij Doeksen. The gas engines form a key part of a symmetrical propulsion system within the two hulls of each catamaran. Two MTU 16-cylinder V 4,000 engines are fed by two LNG tanks – with each driven by a Veth CRP azimuth propeller. MTU director, application centre marine, Stefan Müller told  WIP that the main challenge was that the “Propellers need a propulsion system which is very focused on very good load acceptance.”To meet this challenge, the gas supply comes through a spark-ignition system to the engines, with an injector for every cylinder. Mr Müller said it was “very important” to have “individual combustion control for each cylinder” to meet the load requirements.