Chinese Icebreaker Beacon Ship Sports Schottel EcoPellers

Schottel supplied main and auxiliary propulsion units for China’s first ice-breaking beacon vessel. Haixun 156, which will perform a wide range of tasks, has recently been launched by the contracted shipyard Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group, Hubei Province, China. It was ordered by the Tianjin Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) and is scheduled to enter operation in September 2021.

The main propulsion of the beacon vessel includes of a pair of diesel-driven Schottel EcoPellers type SRE 460 (1,800 kW each) featuring a four-bladed 2.4 m-diameter propeller. To enhance maneuverability and provide DP capabilities, the newbuild is equipped with a Schottel TransverseThruster type STT 1 (500 kW).

The azimuth thrusters of Haixun 156 are ice-strengthened according to Chinese ice class CCS 2 (corresponding to Finnish-Swedish ice class 1B), enabling the vessel to break through ice as thick as 0.6m, guaranteeing emergency responses in North China's waters even under extreme weather conditions.

Measuring 74.9 x 14.3m Haixun 156 has a displacement of 2,400 tons, and it will be deployed for setting up, removing, swapping and maintaining navigation aid facilities at ports and on navigation routes in North China.

The Tianjin Port's aids to navigation (AtoN) system is fairly dense, and growing rapidly. The MSA Beihai Navigational Security Center's Tianjin Aids to Navigation system is responsible for the maintenance of all navaids within the Tianjin area.

 “Haixun 156”, which will perform a wide range of tasks, has recently been launched by the contracted shipyard Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group, Hubei Province, China. Image courtesy Schottel