The Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C, the world’s largest combustion engine, is a massive mechanical marvel built to power giant container ships. This 14-cylinder two-stroke turbocharged diesel engine, 13 meters tall and 26 meters long, weighs an incredible 2,300 tons. The engine’s massive crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons, and each of its 14 pistons weighs 5 tons.
With a power output of 108,920 bhp (80,080 kW) and operating at just 102 rpm, the RTA96-C consumes about 250 tons of heavy fuel oil daily. Even at its most efficient setting, it burns 1,660 gallons of fuel per hour. The engine was developed by Finnish manufacturer Wärtsilä to address the growing power demands of massive container ships like the Emma Maersk, the largest container ship in the world at the time.
Building the RTA96-C was not an easy undertaking. Instead of starting from scratch, Wärtsilä expanded its existing 12-cylinder RTA96C engine by adding two more pistons. Significant material and engineering modifications were necessary. The crankshaft’s material was reinforced to manage the increased torque, and the entire engine structure was thoroughly examined to guarantee it could survive the stress of 14 cylinders.
The first 14-cylinder engine was built in 2006 and immediately went into service onboard the Emma Maersk. Given the project’s complexity and scale, RTA96-C engines cost upwards of $25 million, demonstrating the enormous resources required to create and operate such a gigantic piece of technology. Today, this engineering marvel continues to power some of the world’s largest ships, demonstrating its critical role in global marine transportation.
