Schottel’s propulsion package picked for Italian methanol bunker vessel

German equipment provider Schottel has been contracted to provide a full propulsion package for a methanol bunker vessel under construction at San Giorgio del Porto Shipyards in Italy.

As disclosed, the company will provide two Schottel rudder propellers, type SRP 360, and one transverse thruster, type STT 1, for the ship.

The San Giorgio del Porto SG 116 will have a length of 91.3 meters and a breadth of 15.7 meters, with a carrying capacity of 3,400 dwt. According to Schottel, the vessel owner is an Italian company based in Genoa that specializes in new green technologies.

The methanol bunker vessel’s propulsion system will consist of two SRP 360 units in the embedded L-Drive variant, with an input power of 1,200 kilowatts each and a propeller diameter of 2.1 meters.

The embedded L-Drive variant of the Schottel’s rudder propeller features a compact electric motor, embedded in the support structure of the thruster’s azimuth module, thereby reducing the overall height of the thruster.

The electric motors of the SRP units require less space in the engine room, as the horizontal drive shaft to the motor is no longer required. Due to the additional elimination of an upper gearbox in the L-Drive design, the power is transmitted efficiently from the motor to the propeller, according to Schottel.

The vessel will also feature an STT 1 with an input power of 400 kilowatts and a propeller diameter of 1.2 meters as an auxiliary propulsion system.

With these propulsion units, the vessel will achieve a maximum speed of 12.5 knots, Schottel noted.

The construction of the new methanol bunker vessel is expected to be completed in 2025.

Methanol is seen as one of the most important alternative fuels today. The development of an infrastructure for the transport and storage of methanol is a global challenge. The companies aim to secure the supply of this green fuel in the Mediterranean.

In 2022, Schottel won a contract to supply main and auxiliary propulsion systems for the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel of the Italian shipping group Fratelli Cosulich.