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Veth delivers 40 steering grids
Veth delivers 40 steering grids for Parsifal LNG tankers
VETH PROPULSION HAS BEEN SELECTED BY CONCORDIA DAMEN AS THE BOW THRUSTER SUPPLIER FOR A LARGESCALE PROJECT – A SERIES OF 40 PARSIFAL LNG TANKERS. FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, ONE STEERING GRID WILL LEAVE THE WORKSHOP IN PAPENDRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS, EACH MONTH. TWO STEERING GRIDS HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRANSPORTED TO THE KLADOVO SHIPYARD IN SERBIA FOR THE INLAND WATERWAY BARGES ALREADY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF VETH PROPULSION
The 110m x 11.5m vessels will boast LNG propulsion and extreme shallow draf capabilites – 2,800t on a 3.25m draf – in order to maximise cargo carrying capacity on the Dutch, Belgian, and German canal and river networks. The LNG tankers will be equipped with Veth’s steering grid type VSG-1200L and accompanying 425kW electric motors. The frst complete vessel is scheduled for delivery in November 2021. Wim Boom, Area Sales Manager of Veth Propulsion, is very proud of this order. “Concordia Damen has been a valued customer with whom we have had a strong partnership for years. This large-scale project is the icing on the cake.” Tim van Berchum, Financial Manager of Concordia Damen, explains their choice for Veth, “Veth Propulsion ultmately turned out to be the most advanced and best suited partner for this project.” The 40 steering grids are a standard Veth product. The bow thruster and propulsion supplier introduced the Veth Jet in 1969. The steering grid is the result of further development. “We have been selling this product for decades and have made contnuous improvements since its introducton. This means that no changes have been made to the bow thruster for this project and only project-specifc adjustments were required, which benefted the constructon”, says Mr Boom.
Maximum thrust at minimum draft
Last December, Veth Propulsion and Concordia Damen signed the contract for the 40 steering grids, which the companies already started designing over a year ago. Mr Boom looks back, “This project concerns many vessels, so lots of research and collaboraton was necessary. Our
Parsifal Tanker.
engineers worked with the Concordia engineers to optmise every aspect. We only had to make minor adjustments such as the relocaton of pipes and the routng of cables. These changes make no diference to us as a manufacturer, but make the constructon of the vessels easier for the yard, which saves tme and therefore reduces costs.” The Veth steering grids are known for their maximum thrust at minimum draf, enabled by using the horizontal propeller and the lack of protruding parts underneath the vessel. The water is drawn up from under the vessel through a horizontal propeller. It is then guided to the outside through a hydrodynamic streamlined housing, and passes through a grid. This grid is directly controllable across 360 degrees. In the event of a main propulsion failure, the steering grid can also be used as an emergency propulsion facility.
J.P. Morgan
Veth supplies the steering grids with the opton of a diesel, electric, or hydraulic drive. In the case of the Parsifal project, each vessel has one steering grid with 425kW electric motors, which delivers 575HP. This selecton depends on vesselspecifc characteristcs. Mr Boom explains, “We recommend two grids for a dry cargo or container ship that is susceptble in windage. But the windage for inland tankers is far less, so one grid is sufcient. The Parsifal vessels have the steering grid at a horizontal angle of about 45 degrees to the centre of the ship to generate maximum thrust in the most important positons. We supply steering grids in a power range from 200HP to 840HP. The Parsifal tankers’ 575HP is indeed rather powerful for these vessels, but this was the client’s preferred choice.” The investment branch of the American J.P. Morgan bank will own all the Parsifal vessels. The barges will be chartered by Shell and operated by the VT Group/ Marlow. The VT Group is specialised in inland shipping, transportng minerals, chemical products, biofuels, and lubricants. The Parsifal tankers will transport mineral oils between Antwerp, Amsterdam, Roterdam, and the Rhine network.
Sustainability
Veth Propulsion is proud that the company can once again play a role in a sustainable project. “We are contnuously working on sustainability, as demonstrated in previous projects such as the Oranje Nassau V and VI and the Den Bosch Max vessels”, Mr Boom comments. “In the case of the Parsifal
From left to right: Wim Boom – Area Sales Manager of Veth Propulsion, Tim van Berchum – Financial Manager of Concordia Damen, Marco Huisman – Technical Director of Veth Propulsion.
vessels, the sustainability lies in the LNG propulsion installaton. As a partner in these projects, we are happy to share our knowledge gained in other internatonal projects. It’s a great advantage for the environment to minimise the vessel’s resistance and to subsequently save fuel. To make the projects and thus the sector as sustainable as possible, collaboraton between all partes is needed and we are happy to cooperate to achieve these goals.”
