First delivery for Cat hybrid thruster

The first system will be delivered for an undisclosed fee to a shipyard in Singapore, it is set to be commissioned later this year.

Jonas Granath, manager electrical design at Caterpillar Marine Solution Centre, said: “The efficiency gains are remarkable. Of course, they differ from ship to ship depending on the ship service and OSVs come in a wide range of types and sizes.”

The new propulsion system is set to outperform diesel mechanical systems in all partial load conditions, hoping to offer improved fuel economy and substantial savings for offshore support vessels.

Cat Marine Hybrid Thruster system could be used to downsize a vessel’s main engine so that engine load is optimized, while also allowing the vessel to switch to diesel electric mode for low DP operations or in standby.

Mr Granath added: “Typically, though, OSVs with DP capability spend a considerable amount of time in standby or in various levels of DP.”

“With this new system, they will be able to use the diesel electric mode and run off the smaller gensets with the propellers operating economically at a very low rpm. It is in exactly these conditions where our new Marine Hybrid Thruster system offers the greatest benefits.”

Caterpillar Marine has announced that it believes that the Cat Marine Hybrid Thruster represents a significant new market contender, either for retrofit or installation at newbuild stage.

In transit operations and in diesel-mechanical mode, the smaller engines run at higher loads, consuming less fuel. In low-speed transit, either one or two gensets can power the main azimuth thruster in diesel-electric mode giving typical fuel savings of 10-15% at speeds in the 7-9 knots range, depending on hull profile.

The biggest savings are made during standby and DP operations where the vessel would operate in diesel electric mode with the main azimuth propellers running in the most efficient variable speed mode.

“We see significant market potential for the new set-up on board both existing and new ships to meet the increasing need for operational efficiency and reduced operating costs,” concluded Jonas Nyberg, regional sales manager for South East Asia.