Andrew Marsh News

Rolls-Royce says it has won a contract to install its efficient Promas Lite propulsion system on two vessels for ferry operator Finnlines. Promas Lite is an integrated propeller and rudder system that increases efficiency and is designed specifically for retrofitting to existing ships. These will be the fifth and sixth Finnlines vessels to feature Promas Lite, following a contract for four shipsets earlier this year. Finnlines, part of the Grimaldi Group, has worked with Rolls-Royce on a number of re-blading projects in recent years, and it is efficiency gains and fuel savings that have been proven by that work that have led to this latest order.

Rolls-Royce has been contracted to install its innovative Promas Lite propulsion system on four Finnlines ships, all to be delivered later this year. Promas Lite is an integrated propeller and rudder system that increases efficiency and is designed specifically for retrofitting to existing ships. Finnlines is part of the Grimaldi Group, which has over three years of experience with Rolls-Royce on a series of projects to re-blade propellers to improve efficiency. The efficiency gains and fuel saving benefits created by these projects has led to this latest contract to equip four Finnlines vessels. In many previous Promas Lite upgrades, the primary goal has been to achieve fuel savings for the customer.

Rolls-Royce has won a contract to supply its Promas Lite propulsion system to the Norwegian ship owner Hurtigruten to improve propeller efficiency on its cruise ship Richard With. Promas Lite is an integrated propeller and rudder system that increases efficiency and is designed specifically for retrofitting to existing ships. Hurtigruten will install Promas Lite on their Richard With cruise ship in November this year; an upgrade that the company said will significantly reduce operating costs for Hurtigruten. Estimated propeller efficiency improvement for the ship is between 11-14% at 15 knots.

Rolls-Royce has been selected to supply its MT30 gas turbine to power a new FFX frigate for the Republic of Korea’s Navy. This is the first order for the MT30 in Asia. The FFX frigate will use a single MT30 rather than a pair, which demonstrates that the engine is suitable to power a variety of naval ships. Andrew Marsh, Rolls-Royce, President - Naval said: “We are delighted that the Republic of Korea Navy has selected the MT30 for the first ship in the FFX Batch II programme.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has secured a contract to supply power and propulsion systems for the two latest vessels in the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. Designed to operate in combat zones close to the shore (littoral waters), each LCS will be equipped with two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines, powering four large Mk1 water jets. This will enable the vessels to reach speeds in excess of 40 knots. This latest order is for ships named Little Rock and Sioux City, and follows previous orders for the Milwaukee and the Detroit, which are both under construction.

Rolls-Royce announced the contract to supply gas turbines and waterjets for 10 of the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) – the Group’s largest ever marine naval surface ship contract. Designed to operate in combat zones close to the shore (littoral waters), each LCS will be equipped with two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines powering four large waterjets, enabling the vessels to reach speeds in excess of 40 knots. At 36 megawatts, the MT30 is the world’s most powerful marine gas turbine.