CIMAC DAY 2000 with record number of participants

CIMAC Day 2000 took place on Thursday, 28 September, at this year’s SMM 2000 in Hamburg. The panellists¹ discussed "Jumbo Engines for Jumbo Ships", a topic which covered the different propulsion systems, their limiting factors, problems and solutions. Over 250 people attended the event – an absolute record.

Recent years have witnessed some remarkable developments in the marine sector. Cruise ships have been built that can carry up to 4000 passengers, while some 100 container ships of post PANAMAX size are now operating and another 100 are on the shipyards’ order books. This all points to a very bright start to the new century.

The increase in size and speed of the container and passenger ships has led to main and auxiliary engines having to produce more power. Manufacturers have increased the output of their diesel engines and of combined gas and steam turbine plants for marine applications. Will demand for larger engines continue? What technical solutions do the engine manufacturers and shipyards offer? Where are the limits?

What came out of the CIMAC Day 2000 panel session?

There will be no let-up in demand for larger ships, and therefore for larger engines. The large-bore, 2-stroke diesel engines available today can provide the power demanded for container ships with up to 8000 TEU, and do this economically at the requested speeds.

¹Panellists at CIMAC Day 2000

• Dr. Hans Jakob Gätjens, Chairman, formerly with Germanische Llloyd, Hamburg and CIMAC Vice President Technical Program
• Ole Grøne, MAN B&W Diesel, Denmark
• Henk van Heel, P&O Nedlloyd, Netherlands
• Anton Jungeblut, Meyer-Werft, Germany
• Klaus Marek, Hapag Lloyd, Germany
• Daniel Paro, Wärtsilä, Finland
• Dr. Gerd-Michael Wolters, MTU Friedrichshafen, Germany

Increasing the number of cylinders to as many as 18 or increasing the bore diameter to more than 100 cm, is feasible to meet power demand for container ships up to 18 000 TEU, but operators view this option with scepticism. Vibration and bearing problems, lube oil consumption and the unavoidable increase in shipbuilding costs will, according to the shipowners, limit the maximum size of container ships with up to 10,000 TEU. The same applies to twin screw and twin skeg vessels solutions. Other technically demanding solutions (e.g. gas turbines, electric boosters or pods) are not only limited by the high level of skill needed to operate the equipment but also by the higher costs. Improved and new injection technology will, though, further reduce the output of NOx and CO2 emissions – one step further towards the environmentally friendly or "smokeless engine".

High-speed 4-stroke diesel engines or the combination of gas and steam turbine plant as the power source will continue to be limited to specific applications, e.g. where high speed, high power/volume and power/weight ratios are required.

The next CIMAC Congress is the ideal platform for presenting and discussing these issues in detail, and an excellent opportunity for the international engine industry as well as users to meet and exchange views. It will be held in Hamburg, Germany, from May 7 to 10, 2001.

CIMAC Days were introduced in 1996 to provide an interim platform between the CIMAC Congresses at two to three-year intervals. More than 250 people participated at this year’s CIMAC Day, which underlines both the value and necessity of this non-profit organization. CIMAC brings together engine manufacturers, suppliers, shipowners and end-users in the marine industry. In fact, CIMAC Days have become a permanent feature on the agenda of the major fairs.

Hanspeter Zingg
CIMAC Vice-President PR