Propulsion manufacturer Schottel will deliver the main propulsion units for a car ferry for Vancouver-based company Western Pacific Maritime
The newly built vessel was ordered by the British Columbia Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and designed by naval architect Polar Design Sales. It will be configured as a diesel-electric hybrid with all the systems, equipment and components ready for fully electric propulsion in future.
The ship’s main propulsion will consist of four Schottel twin propeller units type STP 150 L (360-kW each), driven by PEM motors. Featuring a propeller diameter of 1.1 m, the STPs enable a speed of up to 13.5 knots. To ensure a fully reliable 24/7 service, a fifth structurally identical unit has been ordered as a spare unit.
The twin propellers are conceived as plug-and-play units to ensure quick and easy installation. The STPs are designed to be serviced while the vessel is afloat.
The twin propeller is designed for ships with limited installation space, draught or propeller clearance and based on the principle of Schottel’s existing rudder propeller.
The STP ensures combined thrust and 360° manoeuvring power with its two co-rotating propellers. Distributing the load over two propellers boosts the propulsion system’s efficiency, and noise and vibration levels underwater and on board are reduced to a minimum. The 89 m by 25 m ship can accommodate up to 61 vehicles. Once operational, it will serve Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada.
As part the CleanBC initative, the province of British Columbia is working to electrify the inland ferry fleet by 2040, and this ferry is expected to be converted to fully electric propulsion by 2030, once shore power is installed and ready for daily use.
The new ferry will be ready for service in early 2023 with more than double the capacity of MV Balfour, which it will replace.
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