LNG research ship propelled by Schottel

Ordered by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the 75m Atair meets thehighest environmental standards and is considered the first seagoing government agency vessel with low-emission liquid gas propulsion.

The propulsion system will comprise a Schottel Pump Jet type SPJ 220 (1,000 kW), one Schottel Transverse Thruster type STT 1 FP (330 kW) in the bow and one Schottel Transverse Thruster type STT 170 FP (200 kW) in the stern. The Pump Jet can also be used as a standby unit.

There is a large 130m³ tank on board which enables the ship to run on LNG alone for ten days. When opting for diesel operation (dual fuel), high-quality diesel fuel oil with a sulphur content of less than 0.1% is used. The vessel also complies with the IMO Tier III standards for the emissions of NOx as well as the regulations of the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA Tier IV) for soot particle emissions.

Furthermore, the vessel’s underwater noise has been optimised to meet the DNV SILENT Class Notation and the Schottel propulsion units are also characterised by low noise emissions ensuring protected maritime environment as well as optimal conditions for scientific work aboard the vessel.

The Atair is due to be commissioned in the spring of 2020.