Rosette ? state-of-the-art

The 110 metre long, 11.45-metre beam inland waterways tanker Rosette, recently entered into service and like her sister ships, was built in two sections at the Centromost Shipyard in Poland. After launching, the fore and aft sections were joined to form a hull with ten cargo tanks having a total volume of 3,785 cubic metres capable of holding about 2,900 tonnes of cargo. The hull, known as the ?Maxcube? type, was then towed to the Veka Shipyard near Dordrecht, Holland, for fitting out. The third in a six-vessel series, the Rosette is double hulled with a void of 80 cms which is subdivided into ten ballast tanks.

The five-metre deep cargo tanks are coated for the carriage of light chemicals and each is equipped with a Marflex deep-well pump capable of moving 100 cubic metres per hour enabling the discharge of a full cargo to be completed in under four hours. For this purpose, the Rosette has a 463kW Cummins KTA19 diesel genset that can handle all ten cargo pumps simultaneously.

While the vessel?s secondary generator, also located in the forepeak, is a Cummins 6CT8 genset with an output of 163kW and capable of powering up to three of the pumps at a time. This genset also provides power for the heated air compressor designed to avoid condensation in the lines when used for degassing the tanks or for the masks worn by the crew when inspecting the tanks. A 78kW stand-by Cummins 6BT5 genset is located in the main engine room aft and provides emergency or hotel services.

Ample space

With most of the electrical needs for the vessel met by the forepeak generators, the main engine room aft provides ample space for the 1,470kW Cummins QSK60 main engine which is coupled, through a Centra flexible coupling, to a ZF W16500 marine gear. The mechanically driven 1.7 metre propeller gives the vessel a service speed of 10 knots and the gearbox is equipped with PTO shaft, driving the steering machinery.

Cummins also provided its Centinel Advanced Engine Oil Management System that virtually eliminates oil changes. Simple in concept, the system uses advanced software to remove a small amount of used oil from the lubrication system and send it to the fuel pump.

The oil blends with the diesel and is burned with the fuel during combustion. In addition, Cummins also fitted its ?eliminator filter? system which does away with replaceable components in the lube oil system by taking the place of several conventional filters.

On her sea trials, the Rosette impressed with her low noise levels. In the wheelhouse, which raises itself 1.6-metres on a hydraulic pedestal, engine noise was so limited that the operators were dependent on the tachometer as the engine revs couldn’t be heard. The reduced noise levels are due to the soft mounting of the deckhouse, which stops the transmission of sound through steel. Even in the engine room the decibel levels are well within the regulatory limits.

Sea trials also demonstrated the remarkable stopping power of the ship. The electronic controls allow the vessel to execute a crash-stop in only 350 metres or 110 seconds. The vessel achieved an average speed of 18.7 k/h or, in nautical parlance, 10 knots with an 85% cargo load giving a draught of three metres. With the bow thruster alone, it was able to move at 6.5 km/h or 3.5 knots.

Dutch canal and river barges tend to be owner operated, which is reflected in the extra quality in the living accommodations. On the Rosette, the living quarters are all in the stern house, which has five bedrooms, as well as two shower rooms and two heads. A huge galley, mess and living room lounge area, also extend down the starboard stern quarter. n