Rolls-Royce and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a premier defence shipbuilding yard in India under the Ministry of Defence, have agreed to cooperate in the local manufacturing of technologically-advanced MTU Series 8000 engines in India. Under the agreement, which was signed at India’s leading defense trade show Defexpo, the companies will assemble the 16-cylinder and 20-cylinder MTU Series 8000 engines at GSL’s new facility in Goa. The MTU brand is a worldwide leader in large diesel and gas engines and complete propulsion systems and part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.
The agreement includes transfer of MTU technology related to localising of engine components, engine assembly, testing, painting and major overhauls. MTU Series 8000 engines are the largest and most powerful MTU diesel engines with a power output of up to 10 MW. They are fitted onboard all Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) recently constructed or currently under construction in India. This includes eleven Coast Guard OPVs by GSL (six completed and five under construction), five Naval OPVs under construction at Reliance Defence Engineering and seven Coast Guard OPVs by L&T.
MTU Series 8000 engines are the top-selling propulsion engines in their power class for naval vessels. They are also proven in ferries and yachts and have altogether completed over one million operating hours. Series 8000 engines are available in the power range from 7 to 10 MW. They feature low overall operating costs, high power density and environmental compatibility. Common rail fuel injection combined with the electronic engine control system make it possible to achieve fuel consumption levels of less than 200 g/kWh and very low exhaust emissions. Series 8000 engines are certified as marine engines in accordance with all accepted classification standards worldwide. They were also awarded Naval Vessel Rules (NVR) certification by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in 2014 and are subsequently the first advanced technology engines in this power class to meet the stringent requirements of this certification.