Steerprop Azimuth Propulsion for Icebreaking W2W Vessel

Finland-based propulsion specialist Steerprop has recently won a contract to deliver azimuth units as the main propulsion and steering system for a shallow-draught ice-breaking vessel being built for offshore oil operations in the Russian Far East.

The 75.9 meters long, 14 meters wide vessel is being built by the Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander for the Russian companies Mercury Sakhalin and Pola.

The walk-to-work vessel will operate all year round in harsh ice conditions, transferring service technicians and equipment to and from offshore platforms off the Sakhalin Island.  

“The vessel is designed to have maximum icebreaking capacity stern first and is capable of breaking one meter of ice”, says Olli Knihti, Sales Manager at Steerprop. “The vessel will be working in shallow waters, which is a restricting factor for the propulsion system. Thanks to our compact design of the propulsion units, we could offer a solution that fits within the draught limitations.”

The contract includes two Steerprop SP 60 PULL ARC propulsors with an input power of 2200 kW each. They are designed for use in arctic conditions and have multiple layers of redundancies. Also included in the order is the Steerprop propulsion control system and Steerprop Care condition monitoring system.

Knihti added: "One specialty with our azimuth solution is the ability to direct the slipstream from the propeller in a full 360 degrees. It means that the propeller race can be used to widen fairways, blow ice ridges or for example free arctic offshore installations from ice.”

The vessel will be delivered in December 2021 and Steerprop’s propulsors will be delivered in June 2021.

As previously reported, Dutch Ampelmann will provide the gangway system, and Schottel will also provide a propulsion package which is driven by electric motors. The Schottel package comprises one retractable rudder propeller type SRP 260 R (810 kW) and one transverse thruster type STT 2 (700 kW).