Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group has commissioned Schottel to provide the propulsion systems for four new 100-m-long Salt 308 offshore construction vessels.
The vessels are designed to operate in water depths of up to 3,000 m and in complex sea conditions. All are on order from a company in Europe, which plans to use them for offshore oil and gas and renewable energy construction projects.
Schottel’s scope of supply for each vessel covers:
- Two Dynamic RudderPropellers type SRP 610 DL for dynamic positioning with a propeller diameter of 3,200 mm and an input power of 2,700 kW. These will provide propeller acceleration/deceleration and a high-speed azimuth steering system. The azimuth thrusters’ "Embedded L-Drive" and an 8-deg tilted propeller shaft should reduce thruster-thruster and thruster-hull interaction.
- One Retractable RudderPropeller type SRP-R 380 L in the bow with a propeller diameter of 2,200 mm and an input power of 1,500kW, driven by an integrated electric prime mover. As above, the thruster will be equipped with an 8-deg tilted propeller shaft.
- Two TransverseThrusters type STT 6 in the bow with an input power of 2,050 kW providing greater manoeuvrability during dynamic positioning. The propellers will have a diameter of 2,740 mm and will be elastically mounted to support crew comfort.
The offshore construction vessels, with a deck area of 1,150 sq m, will also be prepared for future operation on alternative fuels. The first vessel should be delivered in late 2026.
