Rolls - Royce releases mtu Series 2000 and 4000 Yacht Engines for Sustainable Fuels
- Up to 90% CO2 savings possible by running on renewable diesel (HVO)
- Meros Yachtsharing delighted with mtu engine performance, lower soot, exhaust odor and engine noise after 350-mile HVO test
Rolls-Royce has approved the main Series 2000 and 4000 mtu engines for yachts for EN15940 synthetic diesel fuels. These fuels include, for example, the sustainable fuels BtL (Biomass to Liquid), HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and PtL (Power to Liquid) such as e-diesel. All of them can replace conventional diesel fuel, which is made from fossil petroleum, in these engines without any adjustments. Rolls-Royce will showcase its sustainable propulsion solutions and its expanded yacht portfolio “From Bridge to Propeller,” which includes bridge solutions, at the Cannes and Monaco yacht shows in September 2023.
Denise Kurtulus, vice president, Global Marine, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “We currently see renewable diesel (HVO) as a very valuable sustainable solution because the fuel is already available and offers some benefits to our yacht customers. When running our mtu yacht engines on HVO, which are already benchmarks in terms of exhaust emissions, yacht owners benefit from a significantly reduced carbon footprint while continuing to enjoy best-in-class performance and experience quiet operation with further reduced soot emissions.”
HVO in the tank significantly reduces CO2, nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions
The benefits of HVO are clean combustion with a reduction in particulate emissions of 40 percent or more, nitrogen oxide emissions of up to eight percent, and (depending on the production process and feedstock) CO2 emissions of up to 90 percent (well-to-wake) compared to fossil diesel. Because HVO fuel is made from renewable raw materials, in part from waste, its production, transport and combustion generate only about as many greenhouse gases as were absorbed by the plants during the growth of the biomass.
Meros delighted with performance and environmental friendliness of mtu engines with renewable diesel
Meros yachtsharing, which offers yacht ownership alternatives, has successfully tested HVO with their new 28m Sunseeker Blue Infinity One. Delivered this year and powered by two 12-cylinder mtu Series 2000 M96X engines this vessel has successfully completed 7 refuels across France and Spain with ease.
Captain Carlos Julia Dalmau expressed his satisfaction and said: “After completing the 350-mile route from Mallorca to Monaco in May 2023 fuel efficiency (in terms of the fueled volume) has dropped slightly, but the yacht’s overall performance is no different than when using conventional fossil fuels. In addition, HVO operates at lower temperatures, resulting in lower engine noise and significantly less particulate matter and exhaust odor. The cleanliness of the yacht has improved significantly, making maintenance and servicing much easier to manage."
Since then, Meros Yachting has been using HVO as fuel and has already significantly reduced its CO2 emissions.