Propulsion power for the largest US-flagged trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) will be supplied by Pennsylvania-based Wabtec Corp and US Channel Partner, Cummins Sales & Service
Under the contract, Wabtec will deliver five V250MDC medium-speed, four-stroke diesel engines, three 16V250MDC units and two 12V250MDC units, for the THSD Frederick Paup. Propulsion will be supplied by three stern Z-drives and two forward bow thrusters.
Designed by Seattle naval architectural firm Hockema Whalen Myers Associates, the TSHD is under construction at Keppel AmFELS Shipyard in Brownsville, Texas for employee-owned marine contractor Manson Construction. Scheduled to be operational in 2023, 11,500 m3 Frederick Paup has a length of 128 m, beam of 24.6m and draught of 8.7 m. Once completed, the hopper dredger will be awarded ABS +A1, +AMS and ACCU class notations and have SOLAS certification.
The five V250-series diesel engines will be manufactured at Wabtec’s Grove City, Pennsylvania plant. Wabtec reports these advanced engines can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70%, using high-pressure common rail fuel injection, two-stage turbocharging with inter- and after-cooling, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and an upgraded control system.
Since the medium-speed engines use EGR to meet EPA Tier 4 and the IMO Tier III emissions standards, vessel owners will not have to carry urea used for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment. This design yields additional advantages – 50% less weight and up to 40% less shipboard space, says Wabtec, providing significant operating cost savings, and reducing operational hazards and cost associated with handling aftertreatment chemicals such as urea.
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