GE hybrid propulsion for MARS tankers

The four 37,000t MARS tankers will deliver fuel and fresh water to Royal Navy vessels worldwide, and are due to enter service from 2016. They replace the existing single-hulled tankers which will not meet current IMO and EC regulations. They are being built at DSME in Korea.

GE’s drive train will be installed as a key part of the ships’ hybrid propulsion configuration, which combines electrical and mechanical propulsion. When the ship operates at moderate and low speeds, the propeller shaft is turned using the electric motor and variable speed drive controller system, while at higher speeds the diesel engine is connected to the propeller through a gearbox.

”Our electrical drive train technology will offer the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s new fleet of MARS tankers a highly energy efficient, flexible and integrated power and propulsion system available to direct power as needed in support of their crucial military operations around the world,” said Paul English, marine vertical leader for GE’s Power Conversion business, which was previously known as Converteam.