Mermaid pods chosen for ‘Europa 2’
Rendering of ‘Europa 2’ (Hapag-Lloyd Cruises)
Converteam of France has announced that Mermaid podded electric propulsion, developed by Converteam and Rolls-Royce, has been ordered by STX Europe for Hapag-Lloyd’s new ‘Europa 2’ cruise ship.
The ship, being built at Saint-Nazaire, France, for 2013 delivery, will be fitted with two Mermaid pods with 7.25MW synchronous motors, fed by PWM MV7000 converters. The order will come as something of a relief for the Mermaid consortium; Rolls-Royce having earlier this year been ordered in a US court to pay $24 million in compensation to Carnival Cruises following difficulties with the propulsion units on Queen Mary 2.
Loïc Leclere, marine technical director of Converteam, said: “Converteam’s PWM MV7000 drives using the press-pack IGBT technology have allowed a new step forward in pod propulsion.This new Mermaid order, which follows the one for the French Navy Dixmude LHD, confirms Converteam and Rolls-Royce joint leadership in pod systems with sustained focus on efficiency and availability”.
Henri Doyer, senior project manager at STX Europe, said: “The long-term partnership with Converteam and Rolls-Royce has contributed to offering a very attractive propulsion solution to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises meeting their requirements in terms of passenger comfort and environmental friendliness".
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