Up until recently, the typical ferries, water taxis, workboats and other smaller vessels operating in inland waterways or coastal traffic have had relatively loose emission regulations. Now the stricter EU Stage V and Tier III emission regulations are in effect, bringing new requirements for engine emission aftertreatment. AGCO Power presents a marine engine that makes EU Stage V available with a minimal fuss and loss of space.
The safety regulations and qualification approvals are tight for a marine engine – as well as the available engine room space. With the new legislation requiring an emission aftertreatment system, there is more equipment to fit in the same room. Will it make retrofitting a new engine more expensive and difficult? Thankfully the compact technology minimizes the hassle and cost, says Jarkko Roiha, Marketing Manager at AGCO Power.
“By optimizing the need for space, we have been able to minimize the need for engine room redesign”, Roiha says. “And the simpler retrofit job reduces the price tag as well”.
Roiha also reminds that while the aftertreatment systems are new in this power class, they have been perfected by AGCO Power in other applications.
“We have been making marine engines for 60 years”, Jarkko Roiha says. “Not all engine manufacturers have even accepted the challenge of making a new engine for the 130–220 kW power range, but the compact and effective aftertreatment system AGCO Power has been using for ten years in other applications brings clear benefits in terms of cost and ease of installation.”
Standard but customized
The new marine engine family by AGCO Power will be based on engines used in the off-road applications where possible. This brings the benefits from large-scale mass manufacturing and the good availability of spare parts and service.
“For the actual marine components and individual solutions, the engines are either custom made or have very small production series”, Roiha points out. “In Linnavuori, Finland, we have a special unit that assembles each unit to customer specification.”
With the roots firmly in the AGCO Power engineering tradition, the new engine family carries all the hallmark features the users have learned to appreciate – reliability, fuel economy and the low maintenance.
“The engine rooms are pretty crowded, but if you take care of the scheduled maintenance, you rarely have to visit it”, Jarkko Roiha says smiling.
Practical engines for practical use
AGCO Power marine engines are distributed in Central Europe by ScanDiesel GmbH. Their Sales Manager Detlef Plachta welcomes the new engine family.
“Compliance with the new regulations is a big step for the business. For the next five years, the authorities in Germany alone will need over a hundred new ships and 600+ retrofits”, Mr. Plachta clears up the scale of the change. “For the retrofits, our solution fits most engine rooms – out with the old, in with the new. For the new boats, it is even simpler with the 3D models.”
With the SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) aftertreatment, there also comes the need for AdBlue tanks for boats. Mr. Plachta assures that they bring no extra fuss.
“The tank is about 10% of the diesel tank volume, taking little space and making it easy to refill even from a canister if necessary,” he reminds. “The users like the robust and practical AGCO Power engines for their low fuel consumption and maintenance need as well as stormproof operation.”
For the cleaner future
The new technologies required by the legislation have a very clear purpose – cleaner air for everybody.
“This will likely open doors also to hybrid and electric solutions in the future, which will further improve the quality of air in in-town boat traffic”, says Detlef Plachta. “Now and in the future, we have the most advanced technology for saving the climate!”
See the new engine family
The new AGCO Power marine engine family will be on display in STL (Shipping-Technics-Logistics) trade fair in Kalkar. Held in September 27–28, it will bring together everyone in the industry. AGCO Power and ScanDiesel welcome everyone to hear about the cleaner future of marine diesel engines!