Azipod propels final Yamal LNG ship

The Yakov Gakkel, jointly owned by Teekay LNG Partners and China LNG Partners, joins a fleet of 15 specially designed tankers transporting LNG year-round.

Built in less than six years and to ARC7 ice class, fifteen 170,000m³ capacity vessels have opened the Northern Sea Route to commercial gas shipping and ensured year-round transportation of gas westwards.

“The sheer scale of this project and the size of the Azipod units involved make this a milestone for ABB,” said Juha Koskela, managing director, ABB Marine & Ports. “The fuel and emissions-saving capabilities of Azipod electric propulsion have made it the technology of choice for sensitive arctic conditions for almost 30 years.”

Options for Azipod propulsion span 1MW to 22MW and ABB has delivered electric propulsion systems to over 90 icebreakers or ice-going vessels with a propulsion power of up to 45 MW.

The scope of ABB solutions supplied as part of these projects also includes turbochargers, generators, switchboards, transformers, electric drives and propulsion control systems.