The Basque enterprise, a leader in their sector, will also provide other manoeuvring components for the vessel, which covers the route of the Isle of Man.
Alconza reinforces its leadership in the marine propulsion motors sector thanks to a new project it is currently undertaking in a RoPax-type ferry, which will be based in the Isle of Man, United Kingdom. More specifically, the Basque group will supply propulsion motors, as well as generators and other components needed for the manoeuvring tasks of the vessel.
The ship, commissioned by Steam Packet Co., is currently being built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea. It is a RoPax-type 132-meter-long ferry, with roll-on roll-off capacity for cars, as well as lorries and large trailers.
Since the agreement signature and until the order delivery foreseen for this summer, Alconza personnel has been closely working together with the vessel manufacturer to develop an integrated and personalised solution based on the operating profile of the ship and the specific requirements of the client. The ferry will operate the route between Heysham, northwest of England, and Douglas, in the Isle of Man.
The motors to be delivered stand out for their reliability, efficiency as well as their low operating costs. All these specifications were considered key to the completion of this project.
The main characteristic of the electric propulsion motors that Alconza will install in the new ferry is their “Monoblock”-type design, where two completely independent stators will be set up inside the same casing, together with their corresponding squirrel cages, providing the system with great redundancy. The vessel has in fact two lines of axles, but in reality it will operate with four independent propulsion engines.
Additionally, the generators to be installed in the ferry currently under construction, will be low voltage (due to Wartsila’s Low Loss Concept or LLC) and will reach significant levels of electric power and intensity. In fact, this is one of the biggest challenges from a design and manufacturing perspective.
These generators will be operated by the Wartsila 31 motor, acknowledged by the Guinness World of Records as the most efficient diesel four-stroke engine in the world, as well as a motor that can use artificial intelligence (AI) and automatic learning under a specific maintenance schedule.
Once Alconza delivers the generators and electric motors for this important project throughout this summer, the Basque group will continue to provide technical support through its Customer Service department for the equipment installation, their set-up, as well as over their full lifecycle, supplying any necessary spare parts and carrying out preventive maintenance services, as scheduled in cooperation with the client and the ship operator.
