New Yangtze River Cruise Ship Under Construction
Shipbuilder China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) is building a new cruise vessel for owner Changjiang Cruise Overseas Travel.
The CSC-designed vessel is intended for operation on the Yangtze River, the largest river in China, and is scheduled to enter service in September 2021.
The 150-meter-long long and 23-meter-wide vessel will reach an operating cruise speed of 14 knots. It will accommodate 600 guests served by 150 international crew members.
German propulsion manufacturer SCHOTTEL said it has been awarded a contract to provide azimuth thrusters for the newbuild, which will be equipped with three SCHOTTEL Twin Propeller systems.
The vessel will be powered by modern electric motors driving three twin propeller units type STP 310 with an input power of 1,000 kW each and a propeller diameter of 2 meters.
SCHOTTEL Twin Propellers are ideal for operating a vessel quietly and for applications with limited installation space, draught or propeller clearance. By sharing the load between two propellers rotating into same direction and of the same diameter, the risk of cavitation is minimized and tip clearance is increased. Both of these characteristics, in turn, lead to low noise and vibration levels. This concept also improves the efficiency of the propulsion system and reduces fuel consumption compared to single propeller systems.