Container ships are the largest and heaviest ships to cross the oceans. They measure up to 4,000 meters in length and can carry gigantic loads of thousands of tons of steel containers in a single flight. To propel these vessels, a huge amount of energy is required, which is provided by massive diesel engines. Most large container cargo ships have engines similar to this one, which will be discussed in the article.
We wrote about such a giant in an article about the largest container ship, the Marco Polo, which also uses powerful units.
The RT-flex96C is a two-stroke turbocharged diesel engine developed by the Finnish manufacturer Wartsila. It is currently the largest and most powerful diesel engine in the world, reaching 13.5 meters in height and 26.59 meters in length. The diesel weighs over 2,300 tons and its most powerful 14-cylinder version produces 80,080 kW.
The 14-cylinder version entered service in September 2006 aboard Emma Marsk, the largest container ship to date. The design is based on the older RTA96C engine, but the revolutionary common rail technology does away with the traditional camshaft, chain mechanism, fuel pumps and hydraulic actuators. The result is better performance at low revolutions per minute (RPM), lower fuel consumption and lower emissions.
