Page 8: of Marine News Magazine (October 2010)

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8 MN October 2010

TECH FILE

A 430-ft long, 128-ft wide jackup vessel for the erection of wind power stations is being fitted with the currently most powerful Inline Thruster from Voith Turbo

Advanced Propeller Technologies. The Inline Thruster is rated at 1,500 kW and has an inner propeller diameter of 2,300 millimeters.

The Voith Inline Thruster/Voith Inline Propulsor (VIT/VIP) series starts with type 240-10, which means: an inner propeller diameter of 240 millimeters at an out- put of 10 kW. Previously, the VIT/VIP 850-300 was the most powerful unit in this class. But the principle of a pro- peller drive with a permanently excited electric motor housed in the hollow shaft and no maintenance require- ments owing to sea water-lubricated bearings has also proven itself in larger vessels.

Currently under construction at the Chinese shipbuilder

Cosco Shipyard, the jackup vessel of the Danish shipown- er A2Sea is the best proof of this. For this reason, Voith will also build significantly more powerful Voith Inline

Thrusters in the future.

In the jackup vessel, whose design originates from Gusto

MSC, the VIT supports the three Voith Schneider

Propellers (VSP) of the size 36R6ECR/285-2 as an addi- tional drive system. Voith will deliver the VIT by August 2011. The launch of the vessel is scheduled for early 2012. www.voithturbo.com/marine

For Jack-Up Vessel

High-Performance

Inline Thruster

Image courtesy Voith Turbo GmbH & Co. KG