SCHOTTEL to provide azimuth thrusters for a Chinese cruise vessel

SCHOTTEL to provide azimuth thrusters for a Chinese cruise vessel
Photo: SCHOTTEL

German propulsion manufacturer SCHOTTEL has been awarded a contract to provide azimuth thrusters for a Chinese river cruise vessel.

The newly built ship, owned by Changjiang Cruise Overseas Travel and built by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu), will be equipped with three SCHOTTEL Twin Propeller systems. The CSC design vessel is intended for operation on the Yangtze River, the largest river in China.

The vessel will be powered by modern electric motors driving three twin propeller units type STP 310 with an input power of 1,000 kW each and a propeller diameter of 2.00 m. The 150 m long and 23 m wide vessel will reach an operating cruise speed of 14 knots. It will accommodate 600 guests served by 150 international crew members.

The new vessel is scheduled to enter operation in September 2021.

SCHOTTEL Twin Propellers are ideal for operating a vessel quietly and for applications with limited installation space, draught or propeller clearance. By sharing the load between two propellers rotating into same direction and of the same diameter, the risk of cavitation is minimized and tip clearance is increased. Both of these characteristics, in turn, lead to low noise and vibration levels. This concept also improves the efficiency of the propulsion system and reduces fuel consumption compared to single propeller systems.

The Yangtze River is the longest river in China and the third longest river in the world after the Nile River in Africa and the Amazon River in South America. At 6,397 kilometres in length, it crosses the provinces of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu while also traversing the city of Shanghai from west to east before flowing into the East China Sea.