BERG Propulsion has won a contract covering the hybrid propulsion solution that ensure three wind-assisted Louis Dreyfus Armateurs(LDA) ro-ro vessels will maximize efficiency regardless of their mode of operation.
Following delivery by China’s Wuchang Shipbuilding from 2026 onwards, the innovative vessels will carry Airbus A320 Family jetliner subassemblies from France(Saint-Nazaire) to the final assembly line in the United States(Mobile, Alabama). The ships have been designed by Deltamarin with the aim of halving fuel burn and CO2 emissions in transatlantic operations by 2030 compared to a 2023 baseline.
Wind power drawn from six Flettner rotor-sails on each ship’s deck will make a strong contribution to reduced emissions, with weather routing optimization software also in place to maximize wind-assisted time and minimize drag. In conventional mode, the ships will run on dual fuel methanol engines.
Optimizing propulsion performance at all times will rely on integrated power management and propulsion systems from BERG. LDA has specified the supplier’s extensive engine-agnostic propulsion package for newbuild ships. As well as the complete propulsion train to work with each ship’s main engines, BERG is supplying state-of-the-art controllable pitch propellers with feathering capability.
Amrita Singh, Account Manager, BERG Propulsion, explained that the BERG hybrid solution allows main engines and electric motors to drive propulsion either independently or simultaneously so that the most efficient power option is used as a vessel’s operational needs change.
Crew continuously optimize efficiency using the flexibility available to the propulsion control unit, rather than being limited by the predetermined relationships between engine load and specific fuel oil consumption, said Dombrowe.