Baumüller supplies its DST2 range high-torque motor for the tanker Martinique

Martinique engine room
Photo by Baumüller Nürnberg GmbH

The tanker Martinique was completed in January 2014 at the Trico shipyard in Rotterdam, Holland. The single-propeller ship was equipped with a hybrid drive by Baumüller Benelux in cooperation with HSP, Koedood Diesel Service and Electric Marine Support. With this innovative drive concept the ship’s pollutant emission level is significantly lower than in comparable boats. In addition, the operator saves up to 20% fuel compared to fully diesel-driven ships.

Baumüller supplied a high-torque motor from the DST2 range for the electro-diesel hybrid drive system of the 85-meter-long, 9.60-meter-wide ship weighing 1,700 tons. In all, the drive system comprises a 470-kW diesel motor, two 240-kW generators and the 220-kW Baumüller motor. The high-torque motor is a version with a hollow shaft, through which the propeller shaft of the ship screw passes directly.

Different propulsion modes

Oilchart International will deploy the Martinique as a tanker in Dutch ports. With the hybrid drive, different propulsion modes are available to the captain of the tanker. As such he can sail either exclusively with the diesel motor or fully electrically driven. In addition, the operating modes can be used simultaneously in combination. In-port or when the tanks on-board are empty, completely-electrical and thus emission-free operation of the Martinique is possible. If headway should be made in bad weather or with a full tank, the captain switches the diesel propulsion on. By being able to support this with electrical driving force, the diesel motor can already be downsized at the engineering stage.

The costs associated with the innovative propulsion system thus do not exceed those of conventional diesel propulsion. Additional expenses for the generators are offset by the smaller main drive and lower installation costs. The captain also benefits from the torque properties of the electrical high-torque motors, which, unlike diesel motors, also provide full torque at low rotational speeds and thus simplify manoeuvring.

For more information, please visit http://www.baumueller.com.

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