In February 2015, WE Tech Solutions Oy and Turkish Besiktas Shipyard signed a contract for the delivery of two Direct Drive Permanent Magnet Shaft Generator solutions to a series of 15100 DWT Asphalt Carriers, recently ordered by the Canadian ship-owner Transport Desgagnés. The contract includes an option for two more vessels.
Based in Vaasa, Finland, WE Tech is to deliver its Direct Drive Permanent Magnet Shaft Generator solution to a series of two 15100 DWT Asphalt Carriers, ordered by Transport Desgagnés in Canada. The vessels will be built by Besiktas Shipyard in Turkey. Contract signing took place in February, 2015. Equipment delivery will commence in December, 2015. Besiktas Shipyard is a well-established ship building/ship repair yard in Turkey with proven experience in building specialized ships. Transport Desgagnés specializes in the operation of vessels carrying bulk liquid and bulk dry cargo, as well as general cargo and chemical products, between Canada and major North American ports.
With the WE DriveTM and the Direct Drive Permanent Magnet Shaft Generator technology, the energy efficiency of the machinery reaches unprecedented levels in the shipping industry. With its active front-end low harmonic drive technology, the WE DriveTM allows the shaft generator to operate over the full main engine speed range, while generating electricity for the vessel’s electrical network with high efficiency over the entire range. This feature is particularly prominent in electrical part loads – the normal electrical load condition in any ship.
With the WE DriveTM and Direct Drive Permanent Magnet Shaft Generator in Power Take Out (PTO) mode, power for the vessel’s electrical network is generated by the fuel efficient Dual Fuel 2-stroke Main Engine instead of the less efficient Auxiliary Generators. As the operating hours of the Auxiliary Generators are drastically reduced, significant savings are achieved from reduced maintenance as well.
In Power Take In (PTI) mode, the WE DriveTM converts auxiliary generator power to propulsion power by employing the Direct Drive Permanent Magnet Shaft Generator as a motor. By utilising the PTI feature in the Take Me Home mode, the solution provides required Auxiliary Propulsion Drive (APD) to the vessel.