Maritime Propulsion News

Alternative fuels are not top of the list of naval requirements for gensets, but they are inching their way up.The naval world is largely exempt from the decarbonization pressure faced by commercial shipping, but it can’t ignore it entirely. As a famed naval strategist once said: “Fuel stands first in importance of the resources necessary to a fleet.”Navies must therefore consider their fuel supply options carefully given that commercial shipping is currently rewriting supply and demand dynamics.Indeed…

Shipowners in all sectors face the same decision: build new or refurbish older tonnage. In the booming cruise sector the decision is more pressing, particularly as new construction ships can take two to three years to build, perhaps longer today with global shipyard orderbooks packed full.When the decision was taken to upgrade the nearly 40-year-old MS Amera, trust for the project landed with BSM Cruise, the technical ship manager of MS Amera, and Wabtec channel partner VMS Group…

Brunvoll signed a contract with Tersan Shipyard for the delivery of propulsion and maneuvering systems for two 150-m, 16,500-dwt stainless steel chemical product tankers to be owned Tune Chemical Tankers (TCT), which also is a part of Tersan Group.The vessels are designed by Norden Ship Design House, based in Istanbul, Turkey, and the contract includes an option for two more vessels.Brunvoll’s delivery for the vessels consists of a complete shaft line solution with a reduction gearbox and a controllable pitch propeller…

Kongsberg Maritime won a contract to supply azimuth thrusters to Turkish shipbuilder Med Marine, to power six new sterndrive tugs for the Tunisian port authority OMMP.The new tugs, of Robert Allan RAstar 2800 series design, are designed for a range of towing and harbor operations in Tunisian ports.Kongsberg Maritime will supply a pair of its US205 FP azimuth thrusters to each of the six 28-m vessels. The thrusters feature 2.8-m, fixed pitch propellers which will deliver efficient operation and enhanced maneuverability…

Chantiers de l’Atlantique selected Brunvoll as the supplier of main propulsion for Orient Express Silenseas’s new cruise ships, which are going to become the world’s largest sailing ships. The order is for two vessels, with another two as option.The delivery from Brunvoll is a propulsion system consisting of a twin-screw configuration with a controllable pitch propeller with a diameter of 3.9 meters. The propellers are designed to be fully feathering to limit drag while sailing.

Matt Hart, Manager & Platform Leader, Marine & Stationary Power Systems, Wabtec, offers insights on how the megatrends of decarbonization, energy transition and autonomy all inspire and impact the marine power solutions from Wabtec.Matt, to start us off, can you provide insight on the journey to your present position?I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering and started with General Electric in the Edison Engineering Development rotational program at the Erie…

Erik Thun Group selected Berg Propulsion’s Dynamic Drive technology to optimize efficiency on board all 10 of its latest newbuildings. The Swedish owner confirmed its decision after pilot installations exceeded energy efficiency gain expectations, with the integrated drive solution helping to save 10% of fuel, rising to 20% in some operational conditions.As part of Erik Thun’s rolling fleet renewal strategy, the owner recently expanded its newbuild program with Dutch yard Shipsveerf Ferus Smit B.V to include four 5…

Kongsberg Maritime has won a contract to upgrade the propulsion systems on five ro-ro passenger ferries for Italian operator Moby. The vessel upgrades will together reduce CO2 emissions by more than 30,000 tons per year.Moby operates a fleet of ro-ro passenger ferries, operating in the western Mediterranean, including routes between the Italian mainland, Sicily, and Sardinia.Three of the ships, the Moby Vinci, the Sharden, and the Moby Aki, will all receive a Promas Lite propulsion system, which combines rudder and propeller into one propulsion unit.

The quest to build a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), which will serve as training ships for five U.S. maritime academies, has drawn a broad cadre of suppliers. The powerplant was a main focus, helping to evolve the schools from steam power plants to a modern propulsion package.NSMVs being built for the maritime academies is widely lauded as a ‘win’ for U.S. shipbuilding, an example of commercial shipbuilding practices applied to a government shipbuilding project.

ClassNK recently released FAQs on the FuelEU Maritime (1st Edition), an overview and necessary preparation for FuelEU Maritime, regulations newly introduced by the European Union (EU) to promote the decarbonization of fuels used on board ships.The EU has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to the 1990 levels, with the aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.As part of a comprehensive climate policy package "Fit for 55" for achieving this goal…

Wärtsilä has awarded Damen Marine Components (DMC) a contract to provide steering equipment to two Landing Platform Docks (LPD) of the Chilean Navy being built at ASMAR. DMC is supplying a range of energy efficient equipment to the vessels, which will reduce fuel consumption and resultant emissions.The 110-m long Chilean Navy LPDs are being constructed for the Escotillón IV project at the state-owned Astilleros y Maestranzas de la Armada (ASMAR) shipyard. The ships will fulfil…

ClassNK issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an ammonia-fueled gas carrier which has been jointly developed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding and Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding.Ammonia is expected to be used as a ship fuel for decarbonization since it does not emit CO2 when combusted. While still in development, some project that it will be the dominate 'alternative fuel' starting in the mid-2030s.In the meantime, adequate safety measures are imperative as it has been pointed out that ammonia is toxic to humans and corrosive to materials.

The increased performance of the fast-responsive Schottel RudderPropeller Dynamic SRP-D was confirmed by external sources. Initial investigations into the effect of thruster response on DP positioning were carried out in cooperation with MARIN, based in the Netherlands, and Polish ship designer MMC. The results obtained demonstrated much-improved position accuracy and enhanced operability of the vessel.Further calculations made by DNV and simulations from a cooperation with VARD showed that the SRP-D greatly improves the vessel’s operational performance and environmental impact…

WinGD and CMB.TECH announced plans to collaborate on a fleet of ammonia fuelled bulk carriers. The pair signed an agreement on the development of ammonia-fuelled two-stroke engines, aiming to install the ammonia dual-fuel X72DF engine on a series of ten x 210,000 DWT bulk carriers to be built at a Chinese shipyard in 2025 and 2026.CMB.TECH will support WinGD in establishing its ammonia-fuelled engine concept for a large bore engine. CMB.TECH has significant insight into alternative fuels and builds…

Helena Lennerstedt was appointed CEO of Humphree. She has a background in several leading positions in different companies in the Swedish industry, and for the last seven years whe has been Vice President Purchasing at Volvo Penta. She has a Master’s in engineering from Linköping University and has studied International Business.Lennerstedt succeeds Hannes Norrgren who has taken up the role of Senior Vice President for Business Unit Industrial at Volvo Penta. Lennerstedt will take up the new position in January 2023.

Kongsberg Maritime’s US Series thrusters will be installed on 16 new ASD tugboats to be built in Turkey by Med Marine ShipyardKongsberg Maritime (KM) reports that it has signed "a sizeable contract" with Med Marine in Turkey to deliver 32 US series thrusters for installation on new Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugboats.KM’s US series thrusters now offer project-specific Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling capabilities, while the range of achievable propeller and nozzle combinations ensures the highest possible standards of operational efficiency.

Berg Propulsion secured its first new tug order in Türkiye since the opening of Berg Propulsion Eurasia in April 2022, contracted to provide a range of propulsion and control equipment for a harbor tug to be built at İÇDAŞ Shipyard.Built to a Robert Allan design, the newbuild RAscal 2000 tug will join the İÇDAŞ fleet to support drydock operations and activities in its surrounding port area of Çanakkale, northwest Türkiye.The kit selected was the twin BERG MTA 318 Fixed Pitch Azimuth Thrusters…

Dr. Holger Klein, Member of the Board of Management responsible for the Asia-Pacific region, Car Chassis Technology Division, Aftermarket and Production, will succeed Wolf-Henning Scheider as Chairman and CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG at the end of 2022.At the same time, Dr. Peter Laier will join the Board of Management to lead the Commercial Vehicle Solutions (CVS) and Industrial Technology divisions succeeding Wilhelm Rehm. ZF Chief Financial Officer Dr. Konstantin Sauer will leave the company by the end of 2022 after many years of service.

Volvo Penta has expanded its marine IMO Tier III range with new D13 solutions.This expands the range of marine commercial Volvo Penta D13 IMO III solutions for IPS-1200, IPS-1350, D13-900, and D13-1000. Each package exceeds the IMO III standards.The Volvo Penta D13 IMO III package upgrade boasts a power output of up to 735 kW for inboard and auxiliary applications and is approved for E3 and C1 cycles. The reduction in NOx and hydrocarbon (HC) will decrease from currently permitted…

ABS granted approval in principle (AIP) to Samsung Heavy Industries’ (SHI) design for an ammonia-fueled Neo-Panamax container vessel.Presented in Athens, Greece, at the Posidonia International Shipping Exhibition, the AIP confirms the design has been reviewed by ABS against the requirements outlined in the ABS Guide for Ammonia Fueled Vessels. “This ammonia-fueled vessel represents a significant step forward in the industry’s desire to realize the emissions reduction potential of ammonia as fuel, and we are proud to use our experience to support it.

Schottel has approved Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs) for the use in its ControllablePropeller (SCP) units. Following an extensive testing period in the in-house test benches, oils that were able to meet the OEM’s high performance and quality requirements were technically approved for the use in CP hubs. The EALs are not only able to fully replace the mineral oils used so far, but offer a further advantage with their biodegradability. As a result, they ensure to not harm the environment in the long term.

Kongsberg Maritime signed a contract with Aker Arctic that will see KM supply propellers and shafts for four newbuild SQ2020 corvette ships for the Finnish Navy.The process originated in September 2019 when the Finnish Defense Forces Logistics Command (FDFLOGCOM) contracted Aker Arctic to design and deliver full shaftline system to SQ2020 corvettes and the Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) yard in Finland to build the vessels. Kongsberg Maritime’s delivery will consist of CPP controllable pitch propellers and shafts for the four vessels: each corvette will be equipped with two propellers…

The expansion of Schottel’s international network of subsidiaries developed further with the foundation of Schottel East Asia located near Busan. In addition to the growing market in South Korea, business development of the German propulsion expert will now also be intensified in Japan. Business operations were launched in April 2022.Seongki Han has been appointed General Manager of Schottel East Asia. He brings to his new role extensive experience and expertise in the area of ship propulsion…