Wartsila power for deep sea tugs

Wartsila Corporation is to provide propulsion plants for a pair of deep-sea tugs being built by Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair, Inc., Japan. for the Rotterdam-based towage contractor Fairmount Marine BV.

The 75 m long tugs will each be powered by a complete Wartsila propulsion system, comprising Wartsila engines and gearboxes, Lips controllable pitch propellers, Lips high efficiency nozzles and a Lipstronic integrated control and maneuvering system.

The four Wartsila 6L32 diesel engines in each tug will deliver a combined maximum output of 12,000 kW at 750 rpm. The engines are connected to a pair of twin-in/single-out gearboxes with a secondary driven 1,200 kW power take-off for electricity generation at sea.

The two Lips CP propellers run in special high-performance HR nozzles that generate up to 8 percent greater thrust than conventional nozzles, in both bollard pull and free-running conditions. This means that the Niigata-built tugs will have a maximum bollard pull as high as 200 tonnes, and still maintain a free-running speed of 16.5 knots.

The Lipstronic control system ties together the control and monitoring of the machinery installation and includes a Lipsstick joystick system for simultaneous control of propellers, rudders and thrusters.

To be named Fairmount Sherpa and Fairmount Summit, the tugs are intended for long-distance deep-sea towage. They will, however, be fully equipped to work as anchor-handling tugs serving offshore rigs and floating production, storage and offloading vessels.

The vessels are scheduled for delivery in May and October 2005.