Page 96: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 1999)

Development work on Mermaid con- stituted one of the most extensive pro- jects in the history of Kamewa's Hydro- dynamic Research Center in Kristine- hamn, Sweden, where model testing of azimuthing thrusters has been conduct- ed for decades. "The testing has ensured that Mermaid offers the lowest possible noise and vibration levels," said Mermaid Propul- sion project manager, Jan Pettersson. "This, in turn, means an unusually high level of passenger comfort. Safety is increased by excellent maneuverability, and superior crabbing and crash-stop capabilities," he added.

While Germany's premier shipping group, Hapag-Lloyd, selected Azipod drive for its prestigious Europa cruise ship project, the German contender in the field of podded propulsion systems has achieved its market breakthrough courtesy of a Swedish shipowner's new- build project. The endorsement of the

German-engineered alternative is all the greater in its significance for the promi- nence of Scandinavian technology in the field.

The solution devised by steerable propulsion specialist Schottel in con- junction with electrical engineering group Siemens differs substantially from the other options available through the adoption of tractor and pusher pro- pellers at each end of the podded drive.

The Siemens-Schottel Propulsor (SSP) is due to make its operational debut next year, having been selected for

Rederi Donsotank's 19,500-dwt chemi- cal product tanker booked with Shang- hai Edward Shipyard in China. The con- tract for the newly-developed pod was actually awarded by the shipbuilder, which is partly German-owned.

Since the main contestants in the mar- ket have been successful in attracting serial contracts, repeat, batch and poten- tially volume production will impact on manufacturing economics and enhance the competitiveness of the relevant products.

Significantly, therefore, Schottel has made dedicated provision for the output of SSP units from the facilities of Wis- mar Propeller und Maschinenbau, acquired from Dieselmotoren-Werke

Rostock. Renamed Schottel-Antrieb- stechnik, the plant will be the subject of a five-year DM 30 million investment program, and will be the point of manu- facture, assembly and testing of SSP propulsors.

The Swedish tanker recipient of the entirely German-conceived system, in its SSP7 configuration with an output of 5.1-MW, will be constructed to the highest ice class notation of Det Norske

Veritas for year-round duties in the

Baltic trade.

One of the characteristics which favored SSP's selection for the Don- sotank vessel, designed by the Uddeval- la firm FKAB, was its ease of fitting, a factor salient to its use in a project in

China. Modular design and the avoid- ance of complex air cooling arrange- ments, makes for a relatively straight- forward installation.

Perceived strong points of the concept, from the contractual owner's standpoint, are improved efficiency compared with conventional propulsion systems, out- standing maneuverability and ice-going capabilities, low maintenance require- ments, and space-saving attributes, enabling more of the hull envelope to be used for cargo carrying.

Schottel and Siemens have jointly developed the 360-degree rotating SSP using the SVA institute in Potsdam for tank and cavitation tests. It is claimed to offer 10 percent higher propulsion effi- ciency than conventional systems, and is targeted at applications in the 5-30 MW range embracing the cruise ship, large ferry, reefer, products and chemical tanker, icebreaker, and offshore and sec- tors as well as the naval market.

The forward, or tractor propeller is located ahead of the bulb, and some of the rotational energy in the flow down- stream is recovered by the strut and two fins on the bulb, with water then flowing through the aft propeller to gain added thrust.

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