Schottel propulsion picked for four OCV newbuilds linked to John Fredriken's Seatankers Group

China’s Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group has chosen Schottel to provide propulsion systems for four new 100-m offshore construction vessels (OCVs) believed to be linked to John Fredriksen’s Seatankers Group.

Designed by Norway’s Salt Ship Design, the four OSVs will be based on a Salt 308 OCV design, with the capability to operate offshore at depths of up to 3,000 m. Schottel said the vessels for “an undisclosed first-class European owner,” will operate in both the traditional offshore oil and gas and renewable energy sectors.

Each vessel will have an overall length of 100 m, a beam of 23 m, a draught of around 6 m and a deck area of 1,150 m². The OSVs will be prepared to operate on an unspecified alternative fuel, with the first in the series delivered in late 2026.

“The propulsion package of five thrusters per vessel will provide the future operator with the very best technology available on the market for dynamic positioning in heavy-duty offshore applications,” said Schottel deputy chief executive Roland Schwandt.

For main propulsion, each OCV will have two Schottel Dynamic RudderPropellers type SRP 610 DL azimuth propulsion units. Schottel said the compact units have an integrated prime mover, an embedded L-Drive, and an 8° tilted propeller shaft, resulting in less thruster-thruster and thruster-hull interaction. Each vessel will be equipped with two SRP 610 DL with a propeller diameter of 3,200 mm and an input power of 2,700 kW.

Furthermore, Schottel will supply one retractable RudderPropeller type SRP-R 380 L for each OCV.

The retractable rudder propeller type SRP-R 380 will be installed in the bow and have an input power of 1,500 kW, driven by an integrated electric prime mover. This thruster will also be equipped with a 8° tilted propeller shaft for increased propulsion efficiency.

Two Schottel 2,500-kW elastically mounted transverse thrusters will be installed in the bow to provide greater manoeuvrability during dynamic positioning.