Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company,has been selected by the South Korean Coast Guard to supply Azimuth thrusters for a new fleet of 15 tugs.
The contract, worth around £12 million, will involve the supply of Rolls-Royce Azimuth thrusters (two per vessel) as the prime propulsion and steering system on these powerful vessels, which will be fully equipped to perform oil-skimming and environmental protection duties. John Yi, Rolls-Royce, Vice President Asia - Naval, said: “We are proud to be a partner of the Korean Coast Guardas they embark on a significant expansion of their fleet by investing in these powerful, highly manoeuvrable vessels. Rolls-Royce already supplies the Korean Coast Guard and Navy with a range of marine technology and we’re delighted that, once again, our equipment has been chosen to support their demanding operations.”
The new class of vessels will replace the Korean Coast Guard’s existing tug fleet, which is also equipped with Rolls-Royce thrusters. They will operate primarily in and around Korea’s main naval bases. Rolls-Royce has supported the Korean Coast Guard and Korean Navy for 30 years, supplying a range of equipment including thrusters, propellers and water jets, plus gas turbines. Azimuth thrusters comprise a propeller which rotates 360 degrees around the vertical axis so that the thruster can perform both the propulsion and steering duties for a vessel.