GE Delivers Its First IMO Tier III Compliant Marine Diesel Engines to Northern European Market

GE Marine (NYSE:GE) announced that Bastø Fosen has chosen GE Marine’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier III compliant marine diesel engines for new and re-powered vessels. Bastø Fosen will be among the first customers in Northern Europe to operate GE’s diesel engines that meet IMO Tier III emissions standards without Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) aftertreatment or urea injection.

Bastø Fosen has ordered six, eight-cylinder in-line engines for three new ferries and two, 16-cylinder V engines to re-power two existing vessels-- Bastø I and Bastø II. The re-powered vessels are scheduled to begin operating in early 2016, and the new vessels will launch later that year.

“We chose the new GE Marine engines for their ability to meet IMO Tier III emissions requirements without urea aftertreatment. We value their reliability and low fuel consumption,” said Stein Andre Herigstad, CFO Bastø Fosen.

Bastø Fosen (www.basto-fosen.no), part of Torghatten Group ASA, is a major ferry operator in Norway providing annual transit service to more than 1.7 million vehicles and 3.4 million passengers. Local support for Bastø Fosen will be provided by GE’s distributor, Turner EPS (www.turner-eps.co.uk).

“We are extremely pleased Bastø Fosen selected GE. We look forward to providing our advanced technology IMO Tier III solution, which operates more efficiently and meets the most stringent global environmental regulations to date,” said Afra Gerstenfeld, General Manager of GE Marine.

A study conducted by Jensen Maritime (www.jensenmaritime.com), a leading naval engineering and architectural firm, was commissioned by GE to compare its U.S. EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier III compliant in-engine, urea-free solution to other solutions on the market that use urea based aftertreatment. It concluded that, for operation on a typical line-haul tug, GE’s solution:

• Reduces approximately 75% of the engine room space required by the other market solutions;
• Reduces weight by approximately 75% versus the other market solutions; and
• Does not require additional onboard equipment/storage for urea or dockside support infrastructure for urea storage and processing.

GE Marine recently was granted U.S. EPA Tier 4 certification for its 12-cylinder V250 marine diesel engine. GE Marine is working to achieve U.S. EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier III certification for its entire family of V250 and L250 marine diesel engine models that also utilize non-SCR technology to reduce key emissions by an estimated 70%, without the use of urea based after-treatment.

About GE Marine
GE Marine offers solutions dedicated to the merchant, offshore and naval industries, helping customers drive operational excellence, efficiency and environmental responsibility. Smarter engineering coupled with GE Marine’s latest technologies ensures the best solutions to suit the precise needs of each ship, powering, propelling and positioning a more efficient, safer and cleaner marine industry.