Caterpillar Marine Power Systems has announced the shipment of the first MaK M 46 DF dual fuel marine engine for AIDA Cruises’ new ships being built in Japan.
The new ships will have one M 46 DF engine each, in addition to three 12 M 43 C engines.
Able to alternate from gas to diesel mode during operation, the M 46 DF offers the flexibility to operate vessels reliably in all geographical areas, whether the fuel in use is gas, marine diesel oil (MDO) or heavy fuel oil (HFO).
In gas mode, the M 46 DF features industry-leading fuel consumption and will comply with IMO III as well as EPA Tier 4 regulations. The engine has been designed to allow retrofitting of current M 43 C engines, according o Caterpillar.
With a bore of 460 millimeters and stroke of 610, the engine was designed for electric drive propulsion systems as well as mechanical propulsion systems. Although designed for unlimited operation on LNG, marine diesel oil and heavy fuel oil, the M 46 DF will reach industry-leading efficiency in gas mode.
