Rolls-Royce wins tugboat mtu engine contract

Whilst Rolls-Royce has supplied mtu Series 4000 engines to Detroit Brasil in the past, this marks the first time the company has supplied engines for 80 tonne bollard pull tugboats and the first time that the mtu 16V 4000 M65L engines will be used in Latin America.

“This order is an important milestone in the launch of the next generation of mtu 4000 series engines, as the 16V 4000 M65L engine is currently the most powerful version of the new series,” said Christof von Bank, director sales, marine, Americas at Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems.

“This contract will reinforce our 20% share in the Brazilian tug boat market with mtu engines, a position we’ve earned over the past decade since installing our first Series 4000 in a tug in 2010.”

The new tugs will feature a hybrid propulsion system, combining the mtu engines, which deliver 2560 kW at 1,800 rpm, and mtu Blue Vision New Generation monitoring system with Z-drive thrusters, hybrid components and controls from Schottel.

The hybrid system will allow for the ships’ thrusters and one of the two main engines to be connected for light operation when full power is not required. When full propulsion power is needed, the connection between the two thrusters is disengaged and each engine is engaged to each thruster, reverting to a traditional, direct-drive propulsion system.

The engines will be delivered in phases, with two delivered in August, two more in October, and two ship-sets consisting of two engines each for delivery in December.