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Wärtsilä, a leading provider of innovative products, solutions and services for the marine industry, has announced that the first ever Wärtsilä X72 mid-bore, low-speed engine has successfully passed the factory acceptance test. This milestone verifies that the engine fulfils the design criteria for performance and functioning, and that it has been accepted by the customer and the Lloyd's Register of Shipping classification society. The tests were carried out at the Doosan Engine Co. Ltd. factory in South Korea, where the engines are being produced under license from Wärtsilä.

Wärtsilä launched its low-speed Generation X engine series in May 2011.

"The Wärtsilä X72 engine offers exceptional efficiency and fuel consumption performance to provide a favourable Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). Furthermore, the improvement in fuel consumption, when compared to conventional marine engine options, results in correspondingly reduced CO2 and NOx emissions. Thanks to its extended rating field, the Wärtsilä X72 is highly suited to a broad range of ship types, including Capesize bulk carriers, Suezmax tankers, and Feeder/Panamax container ships," Wärtsilä said.

"This is another important milestone for us since this is the first ever Wärtsilä X72 engine to roll off the production line. The fact that it has successfully fulfilled the factory acceptance test requirements means that in every respect it meets our expectations, as well as the expectations of our customers.. We are now moving with great confidence to the full commercialization of this outstanding engine," commented Martin Wernli, Managing Director of Wärtsilä Switzerland and Vice President, Wärtsilä Ship Power, 2-stroke.

Following the completion of this first engine, production of the Wärtsilä X72 is being ramped up rapidly with orders at several licensees, and the next engine's factory acceptance test is already scheduled for February 2014. Factory acceptance tests are a common practice with all engines delivered to customers.

The Wärtsilä X72 engine

The engine is equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Most notably, the Wärtsilä X72 features the company's electronically time-controlled common-rail technology which has a 15-year track record. The flexible fuel injection and exhaust valve operation featured in this technology are said to offer considerable fuel consumption reductions with correspondingly lower levels of exhaust emissions. The system also permits stable running speeds down to 12 percent of the nominal speed, smokeless operation, and improved control of emissions. The engine has been designed to provide exceptional reliability, extended key component life, and has been optimised for lower engine revolutions.