Caterpillar Marine - Marine Engines Caterpillar

MaK 12 M 43 C engine. Four units of this type as well as two
8-cylinder engines are to be installed in the newbuilding.
include, for example, a deck restaurant
seating 144 guests, an excellent wine
lounge, a baths section and the largest
fitness room ever provided on a HAL
ship. In the technical area, the “Signature”
class has state-of-the-art navigation
and safety systems, including
equipment for dynamic positioning. It
is fitted with six MaK M 43 C diesels
driving alternating current generators,
ensuring the necessary energy for the
Azipod propulsion technology, as well
as all shipboard plants and auxiliary
systems.
Reliable energy supply
The HAL order is the fruit of close
cooperation between Caterpillar
Marine Power Systems, HAL itself, Carnival
Corporate Shipbuilding, the Fincantieri
shipyard and the Italian Caterpillar
dealer CGT, according to Leif Gross,
Sales Director Global Cruise Projects
at Caterpillar Marine Power Systems.
“In the end, however, we convinced
the customer with the combination of
proven engine reliability, tailor-made
preparation and start-up times and
innovative pollutant reduction technology.
Each MaK M 43 C engine will be
fitted with FCT, Flexible Camshaft Technology,
so that at all load levels no vis-
ible smoke will be emitted and emission
of nitrogen oxides will be below
the limit values of the current regulation
of IMO, the International Maritime
Organization.” Moreover, both the
shipyard and the shipping line have
already gained comprehensive experience
with the trouble-free operation of
Cat® 3508/3512 gensets already used
in the fleet.
Ongoing success story
The MaK M 43 launched in the
market in 1998 supplemented the generation
of medium-speed MaK longstroke
M 20, M 25 and M 32 marine
diesel engines with a fourth model
in the upper performance area. Since
then, Caterpillar Marine Power Systems
has sold more than five hundred of the
6-, 7-, 8-, 9- and 12-cylinder engines
of the MaK M43 series with an overall
output of over 3,600 MW.
The order for four MaK 12 M 43 C
and two MaK 8 M 43 C engines for the
“Signature” class certainly represents
an outstanding achievement. Seen over
the longer term, it is another milestone
in the ongoing success story of the Caterpillar
propulsion units installed in
remarkable cruise ships. In 2005, Caterpillar
Marine Power Systems con-
“Signature”-Class
cluded a widely regarded contract with
AIDA Cruises – German Branch of Costa
Crociere for the propulsion plants of its
vessels of the “Sphinx” class to be built
by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, the leading
German cruise ship yard, for delivery
between 2007 and 2009. This contract
comprises three firm orders each
for four MaK 9 M 43 C units with a total
output of 36,000 kW per ship, plus an
option for a fourth vessel.
Prior to 2004, these power plants
enjoyed a long run of success in various
areas of global passenger shipping:
Caterpillar Marine Power Systems and
the predecessor company Krupp MaK
Maschinenbau could cite over 50 cruise
ships and ferries in their reference lists
for marine propulsion systems in the
past 25 years.
The many other vessels worth mentioning
include the trio of cruise
ships “Sun Bay” (now “Expedition”),
“Sun Bay II” (now “Constellation”)
and “Orion”, built between 2001 and
2003 by the German Cassens-Werft
in Emden. Each of these vessels, offering
an exclusive atmosphere for about
a hundred passengers, is powered by
a MaK M 25 engine with a nominal
output of 1,850 kW at 750/min. An even
more impressive ship aesthetically is
the “Sea Cloud II”, a luxury large sailing
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