ABB Electric Propulsion Installed On Bulk Carrier
ABB enters new market segment with order to install Azipod electric propulsion on board two dry bulk carriers from Germany’s largest bulk carrier company Oldendorff Carriers.
Two self-unloading dry cargo trans-shipment units will be the first bulk carriers in the industry to feature ABB’s Azipod electric propulsion. Both vessels, due for delivery to Oldendorff Carriers in 2021 from the Chengxi Shipyard in China, will be equipped with a complete power and propulsion solution from ABB.
Each 21,500 DWT vessel will feature two 1.9MW Azipod units. ABB will also supply a wide range of electric, digital and connected solutions, including main diesel-electric power plant, generators, bow thruster motors, transformers, switchboards and the power management system for propulsion and cargo handling.
The newbuild vessels are developed by Shanghai-based CS Marine design company together with Oldendorff Carriers. The self-loading vessels will be able to unload cargo utilising a built-in conveyor system and without the need for assistance from shoreside equipment or personnel. Oldendorff Carriers will deploy the vessels for transshipment operations – transfer of cargo offshore from oceangoing vessels before delivery to the final destination.
The Azipod propulsion system, where the electric drive motor is in a submerged pod outside the ship hull, can rotate 360 degrees to increase manoeuvrability and operating efficiency, as well as maximize cargo space on board. Over the course of close to three decades, ABB has supplied Azipod units for about 25 vessel types, with the propulsion system accumulating more than 15 million running hours in total.