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Classification society ClassNK has granted type approval to the new 28AHX-DF dual-fuel engine built by Niigata Power Systems Co., Ltd.

Commenting on the news, ClassNK said: "Whilst the adoption of emerging maritime technologies can prove challenging due in part to the time required to gain approval, ClassNK's streamlined approval process has allowed it to complete the design approval, trial operational testing, and the overhaul inspection of the 28AHX-DF in just a couple of months before granting type approval on 24 December."

General Manager of ClassNK's Machinery Department, Yukihisa Shibata, remarked: "At ClassNK we aim to promote the use of innovative technologies for the benefit of the greater maritime industry. Our highly efficient approval process minimizes the time necessary for new products to gain approval, making it easier for ship manufacturers to implement new technologies into ship designs as soon as they emerge."

Operating on both diesel fuel and LNG, the engine is designed to not only help mitigate environmental loads but also assist shipowners and operators in meeting the stringent IMO Tier III NOx regulations in Emissions Control Areas (ECAs), which are set to come into effect on or after 1 January 2016, by reducing NOx emissions by more than 75 percent from the current Tier II regulations.

The engine is said to have a maximum rated power per cylinder of 320kW with a maximum rated speed of 800 min-1, a cylinder bore of 280mm and a 390mm stroke.