Posted on December 17, 2020
Voith will supply the propulsion system for two hybrid passenger ferries that will operate on Lake Geneva.
In September 2020, Swiss ship builder Shiptec engaged Voith to supply two Voith Linear Jets (VLJ) and four Voith Inline Thrusters (VIT) for each of two low-noise, low-vibration Naviexpress hybrid passenger ferries operated by CGN.
“We first created a digital model of the ferries with our propulsion components,” explained Oliver Lenz, sales application manager at Voith. “On our in-house simulator, the operator’s captains were able to simulate the in part very challenging crossing, including the effects of currents and wind, even before the delivery of the ferries and convince themselves of the maneuverability of our propellers.”
Jets and thrusters
In each ferry, the main propulsion is provided by two Voith Linear Jets (VLJ) type 1140 that are optimally integrated into the hull and thus allow a low draft of between 1.4m and 1.6m. The maneuvering is done by two Voith Inline Thrusters (VIT) 550-110 on the bow and two VIT 380-60 on the stern of each ferry. The fully electric RIM drive transverse thrusters have an integrated electric motor and can therefore be easily integrated into the onboard power management system.
The aft section was optimized using CFD (computational fluid dynamics), under consideration of the structural engineering conditions, to enable maximum VLJ efficiency and optimum interaction between hull and VLJ.
The VIT requires neither a drive shaft nor a transmission. This leads to a direct transfer of the input power, which increases thrust effect and hence efficiency.
The pre-production phase for the first hull sections is scheduled for the end of 2020. Assembly will start in the summer of 2021 in the CGN shipyard hall in Lausanne. The first ferry for the Evian-les-Bains to Lausanne connection will be commissioned at the end of 2022, and the second ferry for the Thonon-les-Bains to Lausanne connection will follow in autumn 2023.
By Rebecca Jeffrey
Source: maritimejournal
