Schottel to equip five Waterways and Shipping Administration traffic safety vessels with electrically driven propellers

Schottel will equip five new traffic safety vessels for the German Rhine Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSA) with electrically driven Schottel RudderPropellers (SRPs).

The Bolle shipyard in Derben, Germany, has been commissioned to construct the modern multipurpose vessels following tenders submitted from throughout Europe.

Each traffic safety vessel will be fitted with two Schottel RudderPropellers type SRP 100, which are reportedly being produced for use with vertically mounted electric drive motors (L-Drive variant) for the very first time. The motors are powered by lithium-ion batteries and diesel generators, which in combination create a serial hybrid system.

According to Schottel, the batteries enable short trips to be made without diesel generators and can quickly and efficiently compensate for peak demand during use. The 360° steerable SRP has been designed to combine maximum vessel maneuverability with course stability during free sailing while providing powerful thrust in any chosen direction at all times. The compact and robust design of the SRP 100 enables vessels to be operated in shallow waters and withstand collisions with flotsam.

The lead vessel in the new series, MS Emmerich, has been in operation for the WSA Rhine since July 2020. As the first multipurpose vessel for the WSA, it is the prototype for the series currently under construction. The new traffic safety vessels are all 33.3m long and 7.4m wide, each having a crane system and landing ramp. They will replace the current vessels MS Neuss, MS Rees, MS Köln, MS Homberg and MS Bonn and will be operated on the German part of the Rhine between Duisburg and Bonn over a distance of approximately 130km. Besides checking and servicing navigation signs, their tasks also include clearing shipping disruptions, transporting vehicles and work equipment and salvaging flotsam.

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