Wärtsilä-Hyundai Engine Company Ltd., the new joint venture between Wärtsilä and Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, received a major order which calls for a total of 16 Wärtsilä 50DF engines for four ships to be built by Samsung Heavy Industries. The contract also includes an option of four more engines for a fifth vessel. The order is recorded in the order book of Wärtsilä-Hyundai Engine Company Ltd. The engines are to be installed on so called Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessels ordered by FLEX LNG. The first engine will be delivered in February 2010.
The Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engine represents a pioneering industry change from traditional steam turbine machinery to a dual-fuel-electric concept with the benefits of much better operating economy and lower exhaust emissions. The engine can run on either natural gas, marine diesel oil (MDO) or on heavy fuel oil (HFO). Furthermore, the engine can smoothly switch between fuels during engine operation and is designed to give the same output regardless of the fuel used.