ABB Wins LNG Propulsion Contract

Chantiers de l´Atlantique, ALSTOM Group, has awarded ABB Marine a contract to supply the electric propulsion system for a new 153,000 cu. M. LNG carrier, owned by Gaz de France. The vessel will be built in France by Chantiers de l´Atlantique and delivered in 2005. The supply of medium voltage power systems to LNG carriers has been a strong growth area for ABB. According to Martinus Brandal, head of ABB´s global Marine business, “In the last three years, we have received orders for medium-voltage systems for 23 LNG carriers with conventional steam turbine propulsion. ABB considers the LNG business to have considerable growth potential over the next decade, and we are convinced that a large portion of this market will be built with electrical propulsion.” To the new Gaz de France LNG carrier, ABB will supply a complete propulsion drive system in a redundant electrical configuration. The delivery will include medium speed propulsion motors of a total of 28 MW, medium-voltage frequency converters (ABB ACS 6000), and a propulsion control system.