Page 44: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2015)

MARINE PROPULSION

Waren/Müritz: The ”Silicon Valley of Ship Propeller Technology

Art espite the fact that com- eter of 10 meters. MMG designs its propellers in-house,

The world’s biggest pro- mercial shipbuilding has “Size and weight is important, but all leaning on more than ? ve decades of shifted to the Far East, the parameters had to be optimal tailored experience. To date more than 2,400 pellers have their cradle

Dmelting-furnaces in Waren for this particular vessel,” said Urban. ships have been equipped with propel- in the North of Germany. an der Müritz, headquarters of MMG, Giants of the sea such as the “Queen lers from the “Müritz-lake,” a number have not switched off. Quite the con- Mary 2” also boast propellers tailor- which is increasing by about 150 each

MMG – Mecklenburger trary – the business runs well to this made by MMG engineers. year.

day, manufacturing ship’s propellers – The 60-year-old Urban, who was born In the era of CAD CAM and computer

Metallguss GmbH – has 95% of which are for export, mainly for in Mecklenburg, is fairly pleased with simulation, it is worthy to note that all delivery in Asia. his company’s current order situation: drafts are reviewed on ship models in manufactured for more

Just two years ago Manfred Urban, “By the end of 2014 we will have sup- Ship Model Basins, even if all complex than 65 years propel-

CEO of MMG, and his 235 employ- plied 148 propellers and for the time ? ow conditions around the propeller ees landed a big deal for a supply to a being there are around 160 propellers vanes can be calculated on the comput- lers for ships, including

South Korean shipyard. “We equipped in our order book for 2015 - worth er. Strength calculations are completed the world’s 20 biggest container ves- $118m,” Urban said. to ensure that the propeller withstands the biggest and fastest, sels with our propellers,” said Urban all stress situations.

with pride. They have been built for The Critical “Interface” in the State of Mecklen- the Danish Shipping Company Maersk It comes without saying that the man- Made in Germany burg-Vorpommern. With and feature about 18,000 container slots ufacturing of propellers is the “ultimate MMG’s continued success is remark- each. Particularly lucrative was the fact discipline” of building vessels of any able, particularly in the face of the large the manufacture of pro- that these vessels feature two propellers size of shape, as the propeller is the all- loss of domestic and regional ship- instead of one. important link between the engine pow- building capability to the Far East. It pellers up to 130 tons, its

MMG has a history of supplying pro- er and the water, and a critical factor in is signi? cant that the shipyards in Asia pellers to the world’s largest ships, as a ship’s overall ef? ciency. The propel- have yet to fully take up the mission manufacturing process it previously supplied product for the ler must help the ship navigate across of full propeller design and construc- requires a delicate hand then-largest 13,4000 TEU container- the oceans, turning 140,000 times a day tion, and MMG counts not only on its ship, a propeller supplied by MMG onboard the large container vessels, accrued propeller building experience and lots of patience.

with a weight of 130 tons and a diam- even more on cruise ships. and knowledge, but also its casting

By Peter Pospiech, Germany 44 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • JANUARY 2015

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