GE Vernova to Equip UK FSS Ships with Hybrid-electric Propulsion

GE Vernova's Power Conversion business in the UK has been chosen by Team Resolute to supply advanced hybrid propulsion technology for three Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships for the UK Ministry of Defense (MOD).

Team Resolute is a consortium created by Spanish shipbuilder and defense company Navantia, shipbuilder Harland & Wolff and naval architects BMT to deliver the FSS program, for which Navantia UK, the UK subsidiary of Navantia, is prime contractor.

The 216-meter-long ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) will be designed with an emphasis on minimizing carbon emissions. Equipped with energy-efficient technologies to decrease power consumption, they will be adaptable to use low-carbon, non-fossil fuels and future sustainable energy sources.

Under the contract, GE Vernova will design and manufacture SeaPulse Active Front-End (AFE) power converters and Power Take-Off/Power Take-In (PTI/PTO) hybrid electric induction motor-generators with resilient shock mounts and flexible coupling and hosing. The scope of GE Vernova’s contract also includes commissioning, testing, sea trials, certification, and integrated logistics support (ILS) services to.

Delivery of GE Vernova’s electric propulsion equipment for the first FSS ship is scheduled for 2025, with the second and third vessels planned for 2026 and 2027.