By
Michele Witthaus |
Chinese ferry company Weihai Haida has placed an order for a MAN Diesel & Turbo propulsion package for a 2,200-passenger/1100-lane-metre ropax ferry.
Weihai Haida, which is the exclusive operator on the Weihai to Dalian route in northeast China, currently operates two vessels on the route, one of which will shortly be taken out of service.
The new ferry, Shen Shen 2, will be constructed at the Huanghai shipyard and will feature a twin-screw propulsion plant comprising two IMO Tier-II compliant MAN 9L32/40 four-stroke engines manufactured in the Augsburg factory in Germany. It will also have two Renk single-reduction gearboxes with PTO shaft to drive alternators, and two MAN CP propellers using the new, high-efficiency type Alpha VBS1020 Mk 5 design.
MAN Diesel & Turbo in Frederikshavn, Denmark will support the integration of the full propulsion package for the ferry, which will have a design speed of 18 knots. Weihai Haida has also ordered engine spare parts from the company’s after-sales division.
The deal signals a new business relationship with Weihai Haida, although MAN Diesel & Turbo has supplied the Huanghai shipyard with four-stroke propulsion systems for eight ropax ferries to date. The yard has also ordered 34 licence-built, two-stroke engines from the company over the years.