By
Rebecca Gibson |
ABB is to supply its electrical power plants, propulsion systems and Azipod XO units to six cruise ships, following a record US$180 million worth of orders in 2013.
Booked over the course of the year, the orders will see ABB systems installed on two ships for both Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International, as well as one Holland America Line (HAL) and one Carnival Cruise Line vessel.
“This is a remarkable run of orders for our cruise ship power and propulsion systems, confirming ABB’s leading position in this high-end market,” said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s process automation division. “Since the launch of the Azipod XO, nearly all of the ships ordered will be equipped with this new generation unit.”
The company’s Azipod XO units contain a variable-speed electric motor, which drives a fixed-pitch propeller, can be rotated around its vertical axis to provide propulsion thrust freely in any direction. This eliminates the need for rudders, stern transversal thrusters or long shaft lines inside the ship’s hull.
Norwegian’s two Breakaway Plus class vessels – Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Bliss – will feature complete ABB electrical systems, each with two Azipod XO propulsion units and three bow thrusters. The systems include generators, transformers, frequency converters and related power system equipment, while the Azipod XO units will supply the 163,000 gt ships with around 40 MW of combined power. ABB will also provide its new Intelligent Maneuvering Interface, which is equipped with the ‘red dot’ design ABB Azimuth lever and the Azipod Dynamic Optimizing system, and can enable fuel savings of up to 2%. Norwegian’s 4,200-passenger ships are due for delivery from German shipyard Meyer Werft in October 2015 and spring 2017 respectively.
Currently under construction at the Fincantieri yards in Italy, HAL’s latest newbuild and Carnival’s Carnival Vista will also feature complete ABB propulsion and power systems. The 99,500 gt HAL vessel, due to launch in 2016, will feature a system with 28 MW of power, while the 4,000-guest Carnival Vista will also be fitted with generators, main switchboards, a remote control system and distribution transformers.
In addition, ABB is to install three 20 MW Azipod XO units, propulsion transformers, propulsion drives and remote control systems onboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis 3, which is due for delivery from STX France in the second quarter of 2016. Royal Caribbean’s Quantum 3, which is scheduled to launch from the Meyer Werft yard in April 2016, will feature two 20,5 MW Azipod XO propulsion systems, as well as generators, main switchboard, a remote control system, bow thruster motors and set of transformers.