German propulsion company Schottel has been awarded a contract to supply rudder propellers for a self-propelled barge-based vessel stack exhaust capture and treatment system, to be produced and operated by US company Clean Air Engineering – Maritime (CAE-M).
The system, known as the Marine Exhaust Treatment System or METS-3, was designed by Fassmer Techincal Projects and will be built at US shipyard Greenbrier Companies. Additional METS systems will be produced and operated in several other California seaports. The 26m long and 13m wide barge will be operated by CAE-M to capture and treat stack exhaust of vessels in the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, California.
CAE-M was founded 12 years ago to develop and operate systems that remove diesel emissions from the auxiliary engines and boilers of ocean-going vessels while at berth or anchor. Based in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, CAE-M closely works together with leaders in the shipping industry. The continued goal is to support ports globally in controlling and reducing emissions.
Nicholas Tonsich, CAE-M President, said: “It is more important than ever to develop innovative technologies that help reduce emissions in ports to an absolute minimum. Clean Air Engineering – Maritime’s latest METS-3 will succeed in doing exactly that. We are excited to have Schottel as an experienced partner at our side and that they are part of this flagship project.”
Tim Klaybor, MD Fassmer USA, said: “A number of factors had to be taken into account in the design of this next-generation CAE-M METS-3, which is why we were looking for a reliable partner to cooperate with. Schottel and Fassmer are sharing a long-standing relationship. We have made positive experiences, with both reliable products and competent service.”
The main propulsion system of the barge consists of two electrically-driven 400kW SRP 150 Schottel RudderPropellers featuring propeller diameters of 1.2m. The SRPs will run on biodegradable oils (EALs). The scope of delivery includes the complete electrical package, which comprises electric motors, frequency drives as well as a portable control station for the Schottel MasterStick.
The Schottel MasterStick is a joystick system which can control up to six propulsion units simultaneously. The thrust and the alignment of the propulsion units are controlled and distributed by software in such a way that all translational and rotational movements required for manoeuvring the barge are executed optimally. The ship’s movement can thus be controlled intuitively and comfortably in any desired directions of motion or in a combination of those.
