Page 47: of Marine News Magazine (May 2020)

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setting of the propellers to minimize hull optimizations as well as better DP Shipbuilding is conservative for good fuel consumption and emissions.” performance contribute signi?cantly to reason. Therefore, it is a Herculean task

Jürgens said a research focus that is es- reducing emissions.” to realize the ?rst application of a new pecially important at the moment is the For Jürgens, “The biggest challenge is technology. For us this means convinc- development of technology for autono- to make the step from technology de- ing the ship-owner that our innovative mous and remote-controlled tugs. The velopment to practical implementation. development works.”

VSP is ideal for these applications, he add- ed. “On one hand the forces can be man- aged very logically (according to X/Y log- ic), and on the other hand it can allocate desired forces so quickly. Any sensor errors or errors in data processing can therefore best be compensated by the VSP.”

Voith and its partners are at a stage where remote-controlled tractor tugs equipped with VSPs can be realized, Jür- gens said. Trials using a Multraship Car- rousel Rave Tug (CRT) are scheduled to take place in Rotterdam in the summer of 2020. In addition, a project is under- way to prove a Voith ferry that will sail autonomously on the river Rhine.

Jürgens said the manufacturer is also making “serious improvements” to the

VSP itself; the biggest step being a high- quality permanent-magnet electric motor built directly into the system itself. “The fully electrical VSP is then called eVSP,” enabling operation using batteries, fuel cells or any hybrid solution, he said. “It will be a gearless VSP with a signi?cant improvement in ef?ciency and many ad- vantages for ship owners in terms of eco- nomical electric drive solutions.”

The reduction of emissions is a cen- tral point of Voith’s R&D activities, and the company has taken various steps to do just that, Jürgens said. “As our pro- pellers are quite different from classic azimuth thrusters, we are motivated to be strongly involved in the optimization of ship hulls through our CFD activities and have developed modern optimiza- tion technologies. We see ourselves as partners of designers and shipyards for the integration of our propellers and are happy to support them in designing the hull so that it is optimal for Voith pro- pellers...Ef?ciency improvements and 47 www.marinelink.com MN