The first of a new series of 11,000 TEU container liners being built for the Danish A.P. Moller-Maersk Group by Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd in Denmark, the M/S EMMA MÆRSK entered service on 1 September 2006. Propelled by the world’s first 14-cylinder in-line engine, the M/S EMMA MÆRSK has a capacity of 11,000 TEU. Manufactured under licence by Doosan Engine Co Ltd in Korea, the Wärtsilä 14RT-flex96C low-speed engine is also the world’s most powerful reciprocating engine,  developing a maximum continuous power output of 80,080 kW, or 108,920 bhp at 102 rpm.

Wärtsilä solution
The 14-cylinder Wärtsilä RT-flex96C engine is a major breakthrough in ship propulsion. It extends the power available to suit the new generation of large containerships while combining the benefits of proven, reliable engine designs with the complete flexibility of RT-flex electronically-controlled common-rail technology. The 14-cylinder RT-flex96C is based on a well-established 12-cylinder RT-fl ex96C design, which was itself developed from the RTA96C engine type widely applied in container ships since 1998. It thus benefits from a wealth of service experience with engines of the same type. 

The fully electronically-controlled Wärtsilä RT-flex common-rail system of the 14-cylinder engine brings important benefits to shipowners. It gives unrivalled flexibility in the way the engines operate, resulting in smokeless operation at all operating speeds, lower fuel consumption, reduced maintenance costs and lower steady operating speeds for better manoeuvring. The RT-flex system also has the potential for adaptation to future needs. Read more about the common-rail system.

An important feature of the first ship installation of the 14RT-flex96C is the high-efficiency waste heat recovery system. It contributes major savings in fuel consumption and reductions in exhaust gas emissions. Exhaust gases of the ship’s main engine pass through an exhaust-gas economiser to generate steam for a turbine-driven generator. The turbogenerator set also includes an exhaust-gas power turbine driven by a portion of the exhaust gases diverted from the main flow through the engine’s turbochargers.
Further technical information about the Wärtsilä RT-flex96C can be found here.