ShipCalculators.com

Published

Burmeister & Wain: History of the Copenhagen Marine Diesel Pioneer

Burmeister & Wain (B&W) was the Copenhagen-based industrial firm that, between 1843 and 1980, built itself into one of the two foundational marine diesel engine manufacturers of the twentieth century, alongside Sulzer Brothers of Switzerland. B&W secured the exclusive Danish licence to build Diesel’s engine in 1898, delivered the world’s first ocean-going passenger/cargo motor ship — the MS Selandia — in 1912, and developed the slow-speed two-stroke architecture that became the global standard. In 1980 B&W’s diesel engine business was sold to MAN AG of Germany, forming MAN B&W Diesel A/S, the lineage that continues today as MAN B&W slow-speed engines under Everllence. This article covers B&W’s history from 1843 founding through the 1980 merger. Visit the home page or browse the calculator catalogue for related propulsion engineering tools.

Contents

Background

Burmeister & Wain (B&W) was for over 130 years one of the dominant industrial firms in Denmark. Founded in Copenhagen in the mid-19th century, it built engines, ships, and railway equipment. Its central historical importance, and the reason it remains a familiar name in marine engineering today, is its decisive role in marine diesel engine development from the late 19th century onwards.

B&W’s marine diesel achievements include:

  • 1898: Securing exclusive Danish manufacturing rights to Diesel’s engine
  • 1912: Building the world’s first ocean-going passenger/cargo motor ship (MS Selandia)
  • 1930: Introducing its first two-stroke marine diesel
  • 1952: Introducing the first turbocharged two-stroke for normal continuous service
  • 1980: Merging with MAN AG to form MAN B&W Diesel A/S, the lineage that continues today

The MAN B&W slow-speed two-stroke engine architecture remains in active production worldwide; nearly every large container ship, tanker, and bulk carrier built in the past four decades has used either a MAN B&W or Sulzer/WinGD engine. B&W’s legacy is therefore both historical and current.

This article covers B&W’s complete history from 1843 founding through the 1980 merger with MAN.

Founding (1843-1872)

Baumgarten

The original founder was Hans Heinrich Baumgarten (1806-1875), a Holstein-born engineer who arrived in Copenhagen in the 1830s. In 1843 Baumgarten received a Danish Royal Charter to operate a mechanical workshop. The workshop initially produced general industrial machinery and grew steadily through the 1840s.

Burmeister joins

In 1846 the young engineer Carl Christian Burmeister (1821-1898), Polytechnic-trained in Copenhagen, joined Baumgarten’s workshop. Burmeister became a significant technical contributor and rose to senior responsibility. The firm was renamed Baumgarten & Burmeister (B&B) and continued expanding through the 1850s.

First steam engine and ship

B&B’s first steam engine was built in 1848. The first ship — S/S Hermod — was completed in 1854. Through the 1850s and 1860s B&B established itself as Denmark’s principal industrial engineering firm, building steam engines, ships, locomotives, and a wide range of other industrial machinery.

William Wain joins

In 1865 the British engineer William Wain (1819-1882, originally from Bolton, England) joined as co-owner. The firm was renamed Burmeister & Wain (B&W) to reflect Wain’s contribution. Wain brought British engineering practice and contacts that helped B&W’s exports.

A/S B&W incorporated

In 1872 the firm was formally incorporated as A/S B&W (Burmeister & Wain). From this point B&W operated as a public limited company, eventually expanding to include shipyards, engine works, and various engineering subsidiaries.

Diesel licence acquisition (1897-1898)

The Berlin meeting

By the late 1890s Rudolf Diesel had developed his prototype engine and was negotiating manufacturing licences with industrial firms in various countries. In December 1897 / January 1898, B&W’s managing director Martin Dessau and chief engineer Ivar Knudsen travelled to Berlin to negotiate with Diesel.

Exclusive Danish rights

The negotiations resulted in B&W securing the exclusive Danish manufacturing rights to the Diesel engine. Knudsen was the technical principal driving the agreement; he saw the diesel concept’s potential clearly and pushed for the exclusive arrangement despite Diesel’s preference for non-exclusive licensing.

First B&W diesel test engine

A 20 hp test engine was built at B&W in 1898 to verify the Diesel concept and explore the engineering challenges. The test engine was a single-cylinder four-stroke unit, similar in concept to Sulzer’s contemporaneous laboratory engine.

First commercial diesel

In 1903-04 B&W delivered its first commercial diesel engine, supplied to the N. Larsen Carriage Factory in Copenhagen for stationary power generation. This was a cautious commercial start; through the 1900s B&W built up its diesel manufacturing capability while continuing to refine the technology.

MS Selandia (1912)

Engineering significance

The pivotal moment in B&W’s marine diesel history came in 22 February 1912 with the maiden voyage of the MS Selandia, a passenger/cargo motor ship built by B&W for the East Asiatic Company (Det Østasiatiske Kompagni, ØK). Selandia is widely recognised as the world’s first ocean-going passenger/cargo motor ship.

Specifications

  • Length: 125 m (370 ft)
  • Engines: Two B&W 8-cylinder four-stroke, single-acting reversible engines (DM8150X type)
  • Power: 1,250 hp each (combined ~1,840 kW)
  • Maiden voyage: Copenhagen → Bangkok via the Mediterranean and Suez Canal

Significance vs Vulcanus (1910)

Strictly, the first sea-going diesel motor ship was the Dutch tanker MV Vulcanus, with Werkspoor engines, which entered service in 1910. Vulcanus was a smaller specialised vessel, while Selandia was a substantial 7,400 GT passenger/cargo liner serving routes that previously required steam propulsion. Selandia’s commercial success and high public profile made it the engine that demonstrated diesel propulsion was viable for the major ocean trades.

Public attention

Selandia’s maiden voyage attracted enormous public attention. Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, met Selandia in London and remarked publicly on the technology’s strategic significance. The vessel completed its maiden voyage successfully and entered regular Bangkok service, where it operated reliably for years.

Sister ships

Two sister ships, Fionia and Jutlandia (the latter famously serving as a Korean War hospital ship in the 1950s), followed Selandia, establishing the East Asiatic Company as the world’s first major shipping company to switch to diesel propulsion.

Two-stroke development (1930s-1970s)

First B&W two-stroke (1930)

B&W’s first two-stroke marine diesel was built in 1930. Two-stroke engines fire once per crankshaft revolution (compared to once per two revolutions for four-stroke), making them inherently more compact for given power. For the very large engines needed in cargo vessels of the 1930s and beyond, two-stroke became the dominant architecture.

Pre-WWII expansion

Through the 1930s B&W expanded its product range, developing engines from a few hundred kilowatts to over 10,000 kW. By the late 1930s, B&W engines powered hundreds of merchant vessels worldwide. The 1933 installation at H.C. Ørsted Power Station in Copenhagen included what was then the world’s largest diesel engine, demonstrating B&W’s engineering ambition.

WWII

During World War II, Denmark was occupied by Germany. B&W’s Copenhagen plant continued partial operation under restricted conditions, producing some engines for German use and continuing maintenance of merchant fleet engines. Post-war, B&W resumed full operation rapidly.

Post-war reconstruction

Through the late 1940s and 1950s B&W rebuilt its position as a leading marine engine manufacturer. The company’s engines powered much of the post-war merchant fleet expansion, particularly in tanker propulsion as Middle East oil trade scaled up.

First turbocharged two-stroke (1952)

In 1952 B&W introduced the first turbocharged two-stroke marine diesel engine for normal continuous service. Turbocharging substantially raised specific output and reduced specific fuel consumption, accelerating the industry-wide transition from steam to diesel.

K-GF, L-GF, L-GFCA, L-GB series

Through the 1960s and 1970s B&W produced multiple generations of marine two-stroke engines:

  • K-GF: small-bore, lower-power
  • L-GF: large-bore (full power range)
  • L-GFCA: refined L-GF variant
  • L-GB: improved economic L-GF variant

These engines used uniflow scavenging with a single hydraulically actuated central exhaust valve, which became B&W’s signature configuration. The architecture differed fundamentally from Sulzer’s loop-scavenging RD/RND series, and was later adopted by Sulzer (via the 1983 RTA pivot) and by every modern slow-speed two-stroke engine.

Holeby plant

B&W operated a separate engine plant at Holeby (Lolland, Denmark), focused on smaller engines and gensets. Holeby produced four-stroke auxiliary engines for marine and stationary applications, and remains today (under MAN-ES / Everllence ownership) the centre for genset design and four-stroke testing.

Corporate restructuring (1971-1980)

Yard and engine separation (1971)

In 1971 B&W separated its shipyard and engine works into distinct subsidiaries. The shipyard portion (B&W Skibsværft) and engine portion (B&W Diesel) operated separately thereafter. The split reflected the growing pressure on European shipbuilding from Asian (particularly Japanese and later Korean) yards, and the realisation that the engine business and shipyard business had diverging fortunes.

Asian shipbuilding pressure

Through the 1970s European shipbuilding contracted under Japanese and emerging Korean competition. B&W’s own shipyard struggled with order book reductions; the engine business, by contrast, found growing demand from licensees in Japan and Korea who built B&W engines locally. The licensee business model (B&W designing, others manufacturing) became increasingly important.

B&W Diesel A/S established (1979-1980)

In 1979-1980, B&W Diesel A/S was established as a separate company holding the diesel engine business. This restructuring positioned the engine business for the imminent transaction with MAN AG.

1980 merger with MAN

MAN AG of Germany

By 1980 MAN AG (Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg) had been operating its own marine diesel engine business for decades. MAN built diesels in Augsburg, Germany, and was a significant European competitor to B&W. The two firms had complementary strengths: B&W stronger in slow-speed two-stroke for merchant ships, MAN stronger in medium-speed and certain naval applications.

Transaction

In 1980, B&W sold its diesel engine business to MAN AG. The combined entity was named MAN B&W Diesel A/S, with operations in both Augsburg (Germany) and Copenhagen (Denmark). The transaction details were not all publicly disclosed; the deal effectively ended B&W’s independence as a marine engine manufacturer.

Subsequent corporate history

The MAN B&W Diesel A/S entity later became:

  • 2006: MAN Diesel SE
  • 2010: MAN Diesel & Turbo (after consolidating SEMT-Pielstick and other absorbed brands)
  • 2018: MAN Energy Solutions
  • June 2025: Everllence (rebrand)

The “MAN B&W” designation has been retained as the product brand for the slow-speed two-stroke engines, even after the corporate parent has gone through multiple rebrands. New container ships, tankers, and bulkers in 2026 are still propelled by “MAN B&W” engines, now manufactured under Everllence corporate identity.

Engineering legacy

Uniflow scavenging

B&W’s commitment to uniflow scavenging (with hydraulically actuated central exhaust valve) was strategically decisive. By the 1980s the entire slow-speed two-stroke industry had converged on this architecture, with Sulzer’s 1983 RTA pivot completing the convergence. Every modern slow-speed two-stroke marine engine uses essentially this configuration.

MC family

The MC family (launched 1982-83 as the principal MAN B&W product after the merger) remains in production today as the smallest variants in the MAN B&W catalogue. Total cumulative MC production exceeds 11,500 engines, making it one of the most-produced large diesel engine families in history.

Long-stroke development

B&W pioneered very-long-stroke designs (S-series, K-series with high stroke-to-bore ratios) that enabled lower propeller speeds and higher open-water propeller efficiency. The G-series (ultra-long-stroke, stroke-to-bore ratios above 4.0) is the current state of the art.

Common rail and electronic control

The ME (Mechanical Electronic) family launched in 2003 introduced common rail injection and full electronic control. Various subsequent variants — ME-C, ME-B, ME-GI, ME-LGIM, ME-LGIP, ME-LGIA, ME-GA — extend the architecture to dual-fuel and alternative fuels. These represent the direct continuation of the engineering tradition founded by Knudsen and his successors at Copenhagen.

Copenhagen plant today

The Copenhagen plant (originally B&W’s Christianshavn site, later consolidated at Teglholmen) remains a key MAN-ES / Everllence facility for slow-speed two-stroke R&D and prototype testing. The site is the global design centre for the family of engines that descended from B&W’s original 1912 Selandia engines.

The Diesel House Museum (https://dieselhouse.dk/), located at the historic H.C. Ørsted Power Station in Copenhagen, preserves a 1933 B&W diesel engine and tells the story of B&W’s contribution to marine engineering history.

See also

References