DFDS chooses MAN Diesel Turbo power for RO/RO newbuilds

Two RO/RO vessels ordered by Denmark’s DFDS at the Volswerft Stralsund shipyard of German shipbuilder P+S Werften are to have complete MAN Diesel & Turbo propulsion packages. Scheduled for delivery in 2012, the ships’ design is tailored towards operation on DFDS’ commercial network, but will also meet parameters laid down by the Danish-German ARK military project for defense transportation assignments.

The ships will each have a lane-capacity of 3,000 m and room for 342 TEU containers on the weather deck – a special requirement of the ARK project.

The ships were ordered as part of an agreement that increased the number of DFDS ships available to the ARK project from two to a minimum of five, backed by charter agreements covering the period 2010-2021. One of the five ships is on a full time charter to the military, while the others are available on between 15 and 60 days notice. The total order price of the two newbuildings is Euros 128 million.

Each will be powered by two MAN B&W 8S40ME-B9 engines with many extra MAN Diesel & Turbo specifications.  The vessels will have a twin-screw propeller system using the new, highly-efficient Alpha Mk. 5 designs, type VBS1350FF-ODS. The FF-type propeller features a full feathering pitch position and employs the Alphatronic 2000 propulsion control system.

The propulsion package also uses shaft-line tunnel gears for PTO-drive. Each vessel will have three MAN Holeby 16/24 gensets.

The propulsion plant is designed for operation in various modes, such as cruising, maneuvering and economy for military convoy sailing, with an electrical system that can handle fixed and floating frequencies.

In commercial operation one of DFDS’s North Sea routes the ship’s will an ordinary service speed of 18.6-18.7 knots and a contractual ship speed of 20.5 knots. When deployed for military service and convoy sailing, speed will be reduced to about 12 knots. This is where operation on one engine/propeller is desired with the other engine stopped and its propeller pitch in full feathering position.

Ole Grøne, Senior VP Low-Speed Promotion and Sales, MAN Diesel & Turbo, said: “This order represents a very interesting reference for our company. Not just because of the engines and the overall specifications, but also the unusual, multi-role nature of the vessels. Such vessels require multiple operational and propulsion modes built into their design. DFDS has chosen our ME-B engines as they are more flexible in relation to the significant operational variations that ARK ships experience.”

March 8, 2011