ABB provides propulsion units onboard LNG icebreaker

ABB has secured a new order to supply electric power plant and Azipod propulsion units for an LNG icebreaker vessel built for the Finnish Transport Agency (FTA) at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard.

LNG fuel

The new vessel is due for delivery in 2016 and set for operation in the Baltic Sea. The vessel has dual fuel capability, and as such will be the first icebreaker in operation able to run using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel.

Concept designers at Aker Arctic Technology and ILS were instructed to select the industry’s most advanced technologies to meet icebreaking conditions in the Baltic Sea year-round, and to perform open sea oil spill response and towing duties in summer and winter.

Central to the vessel’s performance expectations will be its three-pod propulsion solution, with a 6 MW Azipod unit at the bow and two 6.5 MW units at the stern included to optimize efficiency and maneuverability in ice-ridge conditions.

Comments

Heikki Soljama, head of ABB’s Marine and Cranes business unit, commented: “The safety of seaborne transport in the Baltic Sea is under political and regulatory scrutiny as never before, making FTA’s preference for ABB’s power and propulsion technology based on our proven references. Once more, the system’s performance and its ease of maintenance have proved critical factors in the selection process. It is no coincidence that the most forward-looking icebreaker designs invariably feature podded propulsion.”

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/12052014/abb_propulsion_units_for_lng_icebreaker_567/