Schottel has supplied main and auxiliary propulsion units for Haixun 156, China’s first ice-breaking beacon vessel
Haixun 156 has recently been launched by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group in China’s Hubei Province. It was ordered by the Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) and is scheduled to enter operation in September 2021.
Its main propulsion consists of a pair of diesel-driven Schottel EcoPellers type SRE 460 at 1,800 kW, each featuring a four-bladed propeller with a 2.4-m diameter.
A transverse thruster type 500-kW STT 1 will enhance the ship’s manoeuvrability and provide dynamic positioning capabilities, allowing the ship to reach a free sailing speed of 14.5 knots.
EcoPellers are an ecologically clean propulsion system, primarily developed for open seas and coastal operating conditions. The combination of propeller thrust and course-stabilising fin helps the system fulfil the requirements of a modern high-performance propulsion unit.
Schottel said the hydrodynamically optimised design allows the EcoPeller to generate “maximum steering forces and enables top values in terms of overall efficiency and course stability”, reducing fuel consumption and ensuring lower operating costs.
Haixun 156’s azimuth thrusters are ice-strengthened to China’s ice-class CCS 2 (corresponding to Finnish-Swedish ice class 1B) to enable the vessel to break through ice as thick as 0.6 m, guaranteeing emergency response in North China’s waters even under extreme weather conditions.
The 75-m vessel has a displacement of 2,400 tonnes and will be deployed for setting up, removing, swapping and maintaining navigation aid facilities at ports and on navigation routes in North China.
The ship will help support Tianjin Port’s navigational security centre. The MSA Beihai Navigational Security Center’s Tianjin Aids to Navigation system is responsible for the maintenance of all navaids within the Tianjin area.
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