Mermaid Pod Propulsion For The EUROPA 2 Cruise Ship
The Converteam and Rolls-Royce consortium has been awarded a contract from STX Europe to supply Mermaid podded electric propulsion systems, the result of a close cooperation between Rolls-Royce and Converteam, for EUROPA 2, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises new luxury cruise ship. The vessel, to be built in Saint-Nazaire, France and delivered in 2013, will complement the famous EUROPA Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet.
The Mermaid propulsion solution is the result of a close cooperation between Rolls-Royce and Converteam. It combines Mermaid optimized hydrodynamic performance with the PWM converter latest technology offering a high reliability, robustness, compactness and low noise and vibration levels.
The EUROPA 2 will be equipped with two Mermaid pods, each fitted with 7.25MW synchronous motors fed by PWM MV7000 converters. The motors will be manufactured at Converteam plant in Nancy, France and the power converters at Converteam drive manufacturing plant in Massy, France. Mermaid mechanical and hydraulic parts will be manufactured by Rolls-Royce in Kristinehamn, Sweden and the final pod assembly and tests will be performed in Nancy in spring 2012.
Delighted
Converteam and Rolls-Royce are delighted to work for the first time with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and to design a high performance podded propulsion solution for their high standard luxury cruise ship. Loïc Leclere, Marine Technical Director at Converteam, underlines the technical advancements and benefits of the PWM based Mermaid solution: “Converteam’s PWM MV7000 drives using the press-pack IGBT technology have allowed a new step forward in pod propulsion” and states that “this new Mermaid order, which follows the one for the French Navy Dixmude LHD, confirms Converteam and Rolls-Royce joint leadership in pod systems with sustained focus on efficiency and availability”.
Speaking for STX Europe, Henri Doyer, Senior Project Manager, said: “The long-term partnership with Converteam and Rolls-Royce has contributed to offering a very attractive propulsion solution to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises meeting their requirements in terms of passenger comfort and environmental friendliness”.