Louisiana-based Odyssey Marine’s platform supply vessel Odyssea Phoenix went on charter in the Gulf of Mexico, following a three-month propulsion modernisation refit
Built in 2013 by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, as Dean Edward Taylor, Odyssea Phoenix was sold by Tidewater to Odyssea Marine in 2018.
An MMC 887 design platform supply vessel (PSV), Odyssea Phoenix is dynamic positioning class 2 capable, with a length of 92 m, beam of 18.8 m and a loading capacity of 3,300 tonnes. The US-flag PSV is one of 14 DP1 class and DP2 class vessels operated by Odyssea Marine.
When Odyssea Marine acquired the vessel, its propulsion system needed replacement. It had already failed after a brief period of operation, and a simple repair was not possible. Odyssea Marine needed a new propulsion solution that was not only reliable, but also available quickly since the vessel was to begin a charter in the Gulf of Mexico.
Odyssea Marine selected Schottel for the retrofit, opting for the company’s azimuthing rudderpropellers. “The decision to use two SRP 460 FPs with an input power of 2,000 kW each was then made relatively quickly,” said Schottel sales director of modernisation and conversion Jörg Majewski. “Those are bestsellers that are suitable for such applications. Moreover, [the rudderpropellers] were available quickly,” he added.
Altogether, the entire modernisation took about three months – thanks to the timely delivery of the azimuthing rudderpropellers, electronics and controls to the US shipyard, where they were installed together along with a custom-fabricated component for the customer.
“An adapter flange enabled us to dispense with time-consuming steelwork and fit the propulsion system precisely into the existing well,” said Mr Majewski, who supervised the project with his team.
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