A milestone in Denmark’s industrial history
Copenhagen,
17/02/2012
The world's first ocean-going diesel-powered ship,
the M/S Selandia, celebrates her 100th birthday today
As of today, 17 February 2012, we have had diesel-powered ships for 100
years. And we have the Danish M/S Selandia to thank for this development. In
1912 she paved the way for the great advantages of switching from coal-fired
steamships to diesel ships.
MAN Diesel & Turbo SE
Teglholmsgade 41
DK-2450 Copenhagen SV
DENMARK
www.mandieselturbo.com
Further information:
Peter Dan Petersen
Tel.: 33 85 14 70
peterd.petersen@man.eu
Mia Glarborg
The most distinctive feature of the M/S
Selandia was that she had no funnel
spewing black smoke into the sky.
The M/S Selandia was built in Copenhagen by B&W, now MAN Diesel &
Turbo, and handed over to the East Asiatic Company on 17 February for use
on its Copenhagen-Bangkok service. The Selandia was a cargo vessel, but
from the outset carried 22 passengers first class in luxurious, modern cabins.
On her maiden voyage in 1912 the Selandia visited London, where Winston
Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, went on board. He was so
enthusiastic about the revolutionary technology that he subsequently praised
Denmark for being a pioneer for the entire maritime world and gave orders
that the British fleet should investigate the possibility of switching to diesel.
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany ordered a Selandia sister ship for the German
navy.
2/2012
Tel.: 33 85 15 90
mia.glarborg@man.eu
Press Release
Page 2 / 2
The steam engines that had propelled all large ships until 1912 were not very
efficient. Diesel engines were two or three times more efficient and cleaner, as
well as providing better working conditions for the engine-room crew, greater
cargo capacity and a much longer range. And they totally out-competed steam
engines.
The diesel engine was invented by Rudolf Diesel in a form that could not be
used on board ships. This only became practically possible at B&W under the
management of Ivar Knudsen, B&W’s farsighted technical director.
The actual 100th anniversary of the M/S Selandia being handed over to the
East Asiatic Company is being marked at 2 pm today with a reception for the
press and invited guests at DieselHouse in Copenhagen. There will also be a
preview of the unique special exhibition on the M/S Selandia, which opens to
the public on Sunday 19 February. The docudrama "The Ship that Changed
the World – M/S Selandia" is being premiered too. The film has been
produced by Chroma Film with support from MAN Diesel & Turbo.
Winston Churchill, who was First Lord of
the Admiralty at the time, went on board
the M/S Selandia and subsequently praised
Denmark for being a pioneer for the entire
maritime world.
Further information: www.selandia100.dk
2/2012
Press Release
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About MAN Diesel & Turbo
MAN Diesel & Turbo SE, based in Augsburg, Germany, is the world’s leading provider of large-bore diesel engines and
turbomachinery for marine and stationary applications. It designs two-stroke and four-stroke engines that are manufactured
both by the company and by its licensees. The engines have power outputs ranging from 450 kW to 87 MW. MAN Diesel &
Turbo also designs and manufactures gas turbines of up to 50 MW, steam turbines of up to 150 MW and compressors with
volume flows of up to 1.5 million m³/h and pressures of up to 1,000 bar. The product range is rounded off by turbochargers,
CP propellers, gas engines and chemical reactors. MAN Diesel & Turbo’s range of goods includes complete marine
propulsion systems, turbomachinery units for the oil & gas as well as the process industries and turnkey power plants.
Customers receive worldwide after-sales services marketed under the MAN PrimeServ brand. The company employs
around 12,500 staff at more than 100 international sites, primarily in Germany, Denmark, France, Switzerland, the Czech
Republic, Italy, India and China. MAN Diesel & Turbo is a company of the Power Engineering business area of MAN SE,
which is listed on the DAX share index of the 30 leading companies in Germany.
Ref.: 6510-0268
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