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MAN Diesel & Turbo nets another fisheries segment order

Written by Nick Blenkey
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OCTOBER 9, 2015 — Voyager Fishing Company, Ltd., based in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland, has ordered an 86.4 m trawler/purse seiner from Danish shipbuilder Karstensens Skibsværft.

To be named Voyager, the vessel is scheduled for delivery in August 2017. The hull will be built at Nauta Shipyard in Gdansk and is expected in Denmark in January 2017.

Designed by Norway’s Salt Ship Design, the vessel will have a propulsion package comprising a MAN 12V32/44CR main engine, a 4,400-mm ø MAN Alpha VBS 1100 propeller, a two-speed Renk Type RSVL1000 gearbox, and an Alphatronic AT3000 remote control system.

Kartsensens Director Tage Rishøj says Voyager will be one of the most powerful pelagic-fishing vessels in the world with a bollard pull of more than 120 ton and will have a very high efficiency when comparing the bollard pull with the size/power of the engine.

“The engine has gained a good foothold in the market for its flexibility, low levels of noise/vibration, reduced smoke during engine start and operation, and is already building a reputation as an excellent workhorse,” Mr. Rishøj adds. “We are also very pleased with how well the common-rail system has performed in this key segment.”

“Fishing is an important segment for the 32/44CR engine,” says Frederik Carstens, Head of Sales, Offshore/Fishing, MAN Diesel & Turbo. “A key reason behind the demand for the engine is that MAN Diesel & Turbo offers complete propulsion-package solutions that – in terms of SFOC – are optimized from start to finish.”

The order is the first for a12V32/44CR type with a power rating of 7,200 kW, making it the most powerful model the company has thus far delivered to the pelagic fishery market.

A primary reason for the owner ordering such a powerful engine with such a large bollard pull is that the new Voyager will catch fish in the North Atlantic in an area known for its challenging weather.

The Voyager will replace the existing 75.6-m vessel of the same name that Karstensens built in 2010 and will be the largest vessel built at the shipyard to date.

When completed, the 86.4-m vessel will have a loading capacity of more than 3,200 cu.m. It will have a larger, optimized, propeller than the existing ship, meaning that the shipowner has been able to employ a smaller engine, despite the larger size of the newbuilding.

The Voyager order is the latest in a string of orders from the fishing segment for the 32/44CR engine. These include orders for European tuna boats, and North American and Scandinavian trawlers, of which two of the latter have been delivered by Karstensens already this year.

The two-speed Renk gearbox offers economic and environmental benefits, particularly for fishing and other vessels having a multiple operational profile or reduced transit speed.

The new Voyager has a floating frequency system (from 50 to 60 Hz), enabling the propulsion system to operate in “shaft alternator mode” with reduced engine and propeller speed in both steps. This part-load optimization feature, offering up to 16.7% lower engine/propeller speed in both steps, further reduces fuel consumption.

The gearbox features two gear-ratio settings, facilitating a reduced propeller speed at an optimal engine speed. This allows the electric power generation for the PTO on the gearbox to remain uninterrupted in both trawling and transit modes in combination with the floating frequency (from 50 to 60 Hz). This, in turn, provides the highest efficiency in all operation modes, ensuring a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 20%, depending on the vessel’s operation profile.Cavitation and noise are reduced when operating at low propeller rpm, improving ishing capabilities.

Tthe engine’s safety and control system (SaCoSone) is able to detect a load increase at an early stage and improve the load response of the engine significantly by activation of a boost injection in the common-rail control.

If an engine detects a sudden load increase, it changes the injection timing and increases the rail pressure to about 200 bar. This change leads to higher engine torque, a reduced speed-drop, a short recovery time, and no additional air consumption.

The propulsion control system specified for the Voyager is MAN Diesel & Turbo’s new and advanced Alphatronic 3000 generation. The installation will be configured for complete control station set-ups at the main bridge, the starboard and port indoor bridge wings, aft bridge and the engine control room. As a special feature for optimized operational economy, the control system is specified with two-speed gear selection – in addition to the load control for floating frequency operation.

The highly user-friendly and intuitive MAN Alpha remote control system AT3000 has the ability to switch between the two speeds, ensuring that the vessel always operates with the highest possible efficiency. MAN handles all interfaces to clutch control, PMS, etc.

Additionally, the propeller speed change is performed automatically with the shaft alternator engaged and in full operation.
The vessel’s high-efficiency (Alpha High Thrust) AHT propeller nozzle has been specified in this case for “headbox” mounting.

Optimization and integration of the large propeller and nozzle into the aft-ship was carried out in close cooperation with Salt Ship Design.

A propeller- and propulsion-optimized aft-ship solution delivers energy optimization, resulting in fuel-consumption savings and lower exhaust-gas emissions.

The fine tuning of the final propeller-blade design has been based on a careful assessment of the Voyager’s predicted operational power/speed/duration profiles, while taking onto consideration the compromises involved in finding the perfect design solution for, for example, high-speed steaming and maximum pulling power efficiency at trawling speed with suppression of cavitation and noise.

Principal details – Voyager

  • Length overall (m)     86.4
  • Breadth     17.8
  • Depth     10.3
  • Main engine     1 × MAN 12V32/44CR (7,200 kW)
  • Propeller plant ø (mm)     4,400
  • Shaft alternator (kW)     3,500
  • Thrusters     1 × 1,400
  • Gearbox     Two-speed RENK – Type RSVL1000
  • Propeller     4.4-m MAN Alpha propeller, incl. AHT nozzle
  • Control system     AT3000 remote control system with two-speed gear selection
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