The Spanish PEVASA Group has recently ordered a complete propulsion system from MAN Diesel & Turbo for a new tuna vessel.
The system comprises a package of three high-efficiency products, including a modern, medium-speed MAN 8L32/44CR engine with common-rail (CR) technology, a Renk RSVL-950 gear unit, and an innovative MAN Alpha VBS1100 CP propeller with Kappel propeller blade designs and rudder bulb. According to MAN, this combination increases the propulsion system’s efficiency by up to at least 9%, thereby helping to decrease costs, fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions.
PEVASA has a tradition for placing value on new technology - in 2009, the company purchased a structurally identical CR-engine that completed the upgrade of its six-boat tuna fishing fleet. It was one of the first customers to opt for MAN’s CR technology, which controls the engine’s fuel-injection pressure and timing to reduce overall fuel consumption.
The Kappel propeller adds another enhancement to the overall package with its special design that reduces the power-consuming vortices formed at the propeller tip region. MAN acquired Kappel Propeller Designs, including all rights, in early 2012 and is currently the sole provider of this technology.
The new updated propulsion configuration was recently model tested at CEHIPAR in Spain, and the ø4500 Kappel propeller with MAN’s CFD-optimised rudder bulb fitted on a Becker twisted rudder offered a 9.2% propulsion efficiency improvement at 18.5 knots compared to the vessel configuration previously tested.
“This propulsion package is the most energy-efficient solution that we currently offer,” said MAN Diesel & Turbo’s Frederik Carstens, head of MSO and sales manager of the Medium Speed Business Unit. He believes that PEVASA’s order reveals a trend among customers in the marine segment who are increasingly interested in fuel efficiency.
The propulsion package will delivered for installation in September
