Ge Power News

The quest to build a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), which will serve as training ships for five U.S. maritime academies, has drawn a broad cadre of suppliers. The powerplant was a main focus, helping to evolve the schools from steam power plants to a modern propulsion package.NSMVs being built for the maritime academies is widely lauded as a ‘win’ for U.S. shipbuilding, an example of commercial shipbuilding practices applied to a government shipbuilding project.

Captain Morgan McManus will serve as the Ship’s Master on the Empire State VII, the first in a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV), which at press time was getting its post-sea trial finishing touches at Philly Shipyard. The project to design, build and deliver the NSMV series is one of the most exciting shipbuilding programs in the U.S. – a government shipbuilding project leveraging commercial shipbuilding efficiencies. For insights, we visited with Captain McManus to discuss the ship, it’s technology suite and its role in helping to educate a new generation of U.S.

GE Power Conversion was chosen by shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique to supply electric propulsion for the first two of the World Class vessels, MSC Cruises’ latest class of ships. The first ship, MSC World Europa, is now in operation at sea, and the second vessel is currently in build.The LNG dual-fuel vessels are propelled by the most powerful cruise ship electrical motors in operation - two 25 MW, 120-127.5 rpm induction motors - which are fed by four press-pack IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) PWM MV7000 converters.

There's an “electrification of the seas” happening for navies around the world.Whether it's to achieve greater military capabilities, operational economics and efficiencies or to be better stewards of the environment.There's a trend moving from direct mechanical drives towards more flexible electrical propulsion systems. Ships can still have the same propellers and engines, but they now have a much more flexible power system architecture that benefits design, operations and sustainment.“With an electric propulsion system, we can connect to the same gas turbine or diesel.

Physical activity to construct America's first Jones Act-qualified wind farm service operations vessel (SOV) has kicked off on the U.S. Gulf Coast.The vessel, Eco Edison, is being built at Edison Chouest Offshore shipyards in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida for planned delivery in 2024. Once complete, the vessel will immediately provide operational support out of Port Jefferson, New York for Ørsted and Eversource’s joint venture offshore wind portfolio, which includes South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind.

The U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC) has awarded GE Power Conversion an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to maintain the electric and hybrid electric power and propulsion systems aboard its vessels. The five-year contract potentially could be worth $125 million.The contract covers maintenance, modernization and upgrades, training, repairs, parts, remote technical support, and program management on 35 vessels, with more ships to be added as they are built and turned over to MSC after commissioning.

The first MV7000 drives for the LSS FLOTLOG program has successfully passed their Factory Acceptance Tests at GE Power Conversion Nancy Factory, reaching a first milestone for the new fleet of logistic support ships (LSS) of the French Navy.It follows the contract signed in 2020 between GE Power Conversion and Chantiers de l’Atlantique to provide systems for the four LSS to be built by the Shipyard for the French Navy, under the contract management of the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR)…

GE’s Power Conversion business has been awarded a $40 million contract to supply the power and propulsion systems for two National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV). This new class of purpose-built ships for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) will be used primarily to provide cadets with at-sea training on operational vessels.GE was selected as the single-source vendor (SSV) for the ships’ propulsion system, which includes the integration of the diesel engines…

Dynamic Positioning has been around for a while, it is evolving and it is here to stay. Here to sort it all out are two of industry’s more familiar stakeholders who also explain what might come next.When it comes to critical offshore operations and vessel handling, this is not your grandfather’s marine industry, and it hasn’t been for some time. That’s because the bridge layout and equipment commonly found on any recently delivered offshore service vessel would be unfamiliar to the typical deck officer of just 20 years ago. Much of that can be attributed to the advent of dynamic positioning equipment systems.DP – perhaps like no other skill at sea – has changed the role of the deck officer. The technical requirements to qualify and operate this equipment are vast.

In September, Heerema Marine Contractors’ semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) Sleipnir completed its first project, installing the topsides for the Leviathan development in the Mediterranean, a world record lift.At 220 meters long and 102 meters wide, Sleipnir is the world’s largest crane vessel, with two 10,000-tonne revolving cranes. GE said it provided the electrical part of the power and propulsion system including 12 sets of 8-megawatt (MW) generators, eight units of 5.5 MW propulsion motors…

General Electric’s (GE) Power Conversion business and Nedstack, Dutch fuel cell manufacturer, have entered into a partnership to develop hydrogen fuel cell systems for powering zero-emission cruise vessels.The two companies envisage using this technology on passenger ships, replacing traditional diesel engines with fuel cells, and heavy fuel oil (HFO) with hydrogen."This partnership brings together GE’s recognized expertise in cruise electrical power and propulsion solutions plus system integration capability, with Nedstack’s extensive experience in megawatt-scale hydrogen fuel cell technology. The result will be highly efficient fuel cell solutions that enable a zero-emission cruise industry…

GE’s Marine Solutions has once again been selected by MSC Cruises and Fincantieri to provide the marine electric propulsion technology for two new Seaside EVO ships, further driving the evolution of the Seaside Class next-generation mega cruise ships.This follows the delivery of the first and second ship – MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview – in the Seaside Class by the Fincantieri shipyard of Monfalcone.With a gross tonnage of 169,400 GT and a total guest capacity of 5,632, Seaside EVO ships will be the largest cruise ships ever built by the Fincantieri shipyard. The two ships will adopt a range of innovative design features and maritime technologies…

With the recovery in oil prices, deepwater and ultradeep water oil and gas (O&G) projects are the focus of renewed interest. Project viability will come down to a continued focus on cost, but also productivity through high-performing assets. And electrification is set to drive a dramatic impact of these high-tech production facilities for more efficient operations.Following a prolonged downturn in prices, a flicker of life has returned to offshore production projects with oil recovering to around $70/barrel.

Federico Martinengo, the seventh multipurpose FREMM frigate recently delivered to the Italian Navy by shipyard Fincantieri, like all 10 ships in the new Carlos Bergamini-class FREMM frigate program, features the power dense GE LM2500+G4 gas turbine in a COmbined Diesel eLectric And Gas turbine (CODLAG) propulsion system.In 2013, Fincantieri delivered the first Italian FREMM, Carlo Bergamini. In addition to the Italian FREMM frigates, DCNS shipyard in Lorient, France, is well underway having delivered six FREMM frigates in a 10-ship program.

120 miles out at sea, 6,000-horsepower devices lift drilling equipment weighing up to 3 million pounds out of holes lying 10,000 feet beneath the water. Keeping such sea monsters in good working order, often for years at a time, is no mean feat. Oil companies spend between $300,000 and $800,000 per day on each vessel drilling offshore. Any failures can result in losses that run into hundreds of thousands of dollars per day.With such high costs and massive market pressures, including volatile oil prices…

General Electric Co posted quarterly results that topped expectations on Friday, as earnings from aviation, healthcare and transportation offset weak power and oil-and-gas profits, sending shares sharply higher. GE affirmed its forecast for 2018 earnings and cash flow, and said it expects to book as much as $10 billion in proceeds from divesting industrial assets this year. Those comments eased concern that GE would post poor results. GE's profit reflected 7-percent revenue growth and vigorous cost cutting. Revenue rose in aviation, oil-and-gas and healthcare, offsetting declines in power, transportation, lighting and renewable energy. GE sliced $1 billion in costs, including $800 million in industrial structural costs.

GE’s Marine Solutions recently delivered its power take off/power take in (PTO/PTI) solution along with its Power Management System digital software solution onboard four of the largest container vessels owned by Maersk Line—Madrid Maersk, Munich Maersk, Moscow Maersk and Milan Maersk. Madrid Maersk is the first container vessel delivered from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME)—back in April—and Munich Maersk and Moscow Maersk have both completed successful sea trials. Milan Maersk will soon be in service.

GE’s Marine Solutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with RJE Global, Morphettville, South Australia, whereby RJE will assemble GE LM2500 gas turbine modules and manufacture a number of components for this engine in support of the Royal Australian Navy’s new SEA 5000 frigate program. The MOU was signed by both companies recently at RJE’s facility in Adelaide. The nine-ship SEA 5000 Future Frigate Program will replace the aging Anzac class frigates. GE’s LM2500 gas turbines are operational on two of the short-listed qualified ship designs -- Fincantieri’s FREMM and Navantia’s F100.

GE’s Marine Solutions has announced that the seventh multi-purpose Italian FREMM frigate Federico Martinengo, was launched on March 4. The ceremony was held at Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso shipyard in Genoa, Italy. All of the Italian Navy’s new Carlos Bergamini-class  FREMM frigates (10-ship program) feature the same power dense GE LM2500+G4 gas turbine in a COmbined Diesel eLectric And Gas turbine (CODLAG) propulsion system. In addition to the Italian FREMM frigates, the DCNS shipyard in Lorient…

GE’s Marine Solutions business in Peterborough, Ontario is completing one of the first milestones of the company’s seven-year contract with Irving Shipbuilding Inc.,(ISI) to provide electrical power, propulsion systems, installation and commissioning services for six ice-capable Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) for the Royal Canadian Navy. GE’s power and propulsion systems will position the new vessels amongst the highest performance in their class worldwide. Four diesel generators and engines have been shipped to ISI’s Halifax Shipyard, and GE has begun acceptance testing on the first AOPS propulsion motor, expected to ship in early July. GE suppliers located in Ontario are contributing to the project providing steel, skids, metal and machining.

LNG1 (L) Ltd. (PFLNG) to provide maintenance services for PETRONAS’ two forthcoming floating LNG vessels. A Contract Exchange ceremony for the award was held in Kuala  Lumpur on Thursday, 24 March 2016 between PFLNG and SKGE. Under the agreement, SKGE will provide PETRONAS with complete maintenance services for their fleet of twelve gas turbines as well as their fleet of GE compressors, generators and electric motors to be installed on their floating LNG vessels. These maintenance activities will be fully executed by the joint venture’s growing pool of local qualified field service engineers and diagnostic experts. The PETRONAS floating LNG vessels are examples of the emerging trend in the industry for smaller…

Cruise shipping is one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) predicts that over 24 million passengers will take a cruise in 2016 and that CLIA member lines will match this with more than a $6.5 billion investment in new ocean-going ships. However, in the past few years, the industry has not always hit the headlines for the right reasons. Negative environmental stories, brand damage, revenue loss and sometimes even incidents costing passenger lives, have prompted the U.S.

GE’s Marine Solutions announced it will provide a LM2500+G4 gas turbine that will power the Italian Navy’s new Pattugliatori Polivalenti d’Altura (PPA) multipurpose offshore patrol ship. The PPA’s hybrid electric propulsion system also will use GE’s shock-proof MV3000 drives and a GE-designed electrical network of motors as part of the propulsion system. Avio Aero, a GE Aviation business headquartered in Italy, will have the design responsibility for the gas turbine package. The PPA ship will be built by Fincantieri at its Integrated Shipyard of Riva Trigoso and Muggiano.