Yichang Marine Diesel Engine (YMD), a company under China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), has completed production of its first Mitsubishi UE low-speed marine diesel engine under a technology licensing arrangement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
YMD, located in Yichang, Hubei Province, China, is expected to complete three more Mitsubishi UE engines within this year.
The first Mitsubishi-UE engine completed by YMD is the 6UEC43LSII, featuring a power output of 6,300kW or 8,580PS (pferdestarke) at 160rpm. The unit will be installed as the main engine on a German-owned 32,000DWT timber/cargo carrier currently under construction at a shipyard in Fujian Province, China.
Besides small and medium-sized engine licensing to YMD, MHI has previously licensed UE engine technology to two other Chinese companies: large and medium-sized UE engines to Qingdao Qiyao Wärtsilä Linshan Marine Diesel Company in Qingdao, and engines to Zhejiang Yungpu Heavy Machinery in Ningbo, China.
China's shipbuilding industry passed through a period of stagnation under the impact of the global financial crisis, but has now rebounded. In 2009, China overtook Korea in terms of new shipbuilding orders.