Wärtsilä wins another major bulk order for cylinder lubrication retrofits from Reederei NSB

Wärtsilä’s Retrofit Pulse Lubricating System (RPLS) cuts lubricating oil consumption and saves engine operating costs.

Wärtsilä won an order in November from the German shipowner NSB Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co KG (Reederei NSB) for retrofitting another 23 ships with the Retrofit Pulse Lubricating System (RPLS). This system cuts lubricating oil consumption and saves engine operating costs. The new cylinder lubricating system will be fitted to all Wärtsilä RTA84C and RTA72U engines in the owner’s fleet of container ships.

The benefit of the cylinder lubrication system is recognised. “In 2007, we purchased the RPLS for our 19 ships equipped with the Wärtsilä RTA96C engine. The retrofits have proven to generate the promised savings in cylinder lubricant while being reliable in savings. Therefore, we have decided to retrofit our whole fleet of Wärtsilä two-stroke engines to provide our share holders with the lowest operating costs possible. With its precise timing and accurate metering of cylinder oil considerable cost savings will be achieved,” says Bozidar Petrovic, Managing Director, Reederei NSB.

Shipowners have shown considerable interest for retrofitting the electronically-controlled Retrofit Pulse Lubricating System (RPLS) to Wärtsilä RTA and RT-flex low-speed marine diesel engines. Orders have already been received for more than 150 complete engine installations. The first retrofit was completed in September 2006 while today more than 100 engines are in service with RPLS.

The first systems installed in 2006

The first ever RPLS was installed in the container ship “Cosco Shenzhen” during autumn 2006. The vessel is owned and chartered by shipping company E.R. Schiffahrt GmbH & Cie KG. The RPLS was fitted while the ship sailed from Hong Kong to San Francisco via China.

“The RPLS solution has delivered all the benefits promised,” says Claus Tantzen, Technical Manager within the Fleet Management department at E.R. Schiffahrt. “In addition to cost-savings we are on the lookout for operational reliability. The system is being fitted to all nine Wärtsilä RTA96C engines in our fleet.”

Less oil consumption

The RPLS cylinder lubrication solution trumps traditional systems by its electronically-controlled feeding of cylinder oil. Compared to accumulator systems the RPLS can help achieve typical yearly savings of up to USD 200,000 for a 12-cylinder RTA96C engine running for 7000 hours a year with cylinder oil costing USD 1700/tonne.

The Pulse Lubricating System delivers reduced cylinder oil consumption without compromising piston-running reliability. This is made possible through an improved distribution of cylinder lubricating oil to the cylinder liner, and the fully flexible, precise timing of oil delivery.

The guide feed rate for RTA and RT-flex engines retrofitted with the Pulse Lubricating System is 0.8 g/kWh of cylinder lubricating oil.

The Pulse Lubricating System is available now for retrofitting to all Wärtsilä two-stroke engines.

Shipowners can obtain further information on retrofitting the Pulse Lubricating System by e-mailing: rpls@wartsila.com

Wärtsilä Corporation in brief:
Wärtsilä enhances the business of its customers by providing them with complete lifecycle power solutions. When creating better and environmentally compatible technologies, Wärtsilä focuses on the marine and energy markets with products and solutions as well as services. Through innovative products and services, Wärtsilä sets out to be the most valued business partner of all its customers. This is achieved by the dedication of over 18,000 professionals manning 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the Nordic Exchange in Helsinki, Finland.
www.wartsila.com

Reederei NSB:
NSB Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co KG (Reederei NSB) was established in 1982 and has maintained the head office in Buxtehude since 1986 – in close proximity to the harbours in Hamburg and Bremen/Bremerhaven having started with a small team of seven people managing four container ships, NSB ever since navigates on course of consistent growth with a continuously growing number of employees. Reederei NSB presents itself as one of the leading shipping companies worldwide. The range of services reaches from ship management of container ships and tankers to supervision of ship newbuildings throughout the world. With its fleet, of which 76% flies the German flag, they establish safety and quality “made in Germany” on the modern “highways” of container shipping.
www.reederei-nsb.com

E.R. Schiffahrt:
E.R. Schiffahrt, founded in 1998, is a ship owning and ship management company with activities in container, bulk and offshore segments. The company currently controls 124 vessels in service and under construction. The vessels are chartered by leading liner and bulk shipping companies and offshore customers with whom E.R. Schiffahrt maintain close strategic partnerships. As an integral part of our partners’ logistics networks we have a major responsibility for their quality of service. E.R. Schiffahrt aims to be one of the best ship management companies in the shipping industry. 2450 crew members at sea and 150 employees ashore work as a team and are dedicated to securing safety, reliability and performance for the benefit of our business partners worldwide.
www.er-ship.com