The Switch to Supply Single Drives for New SDARI-Built Tankers
The Switch, a power electronics provider for the marine industry, has won a contract to deliver the single drives for shaft generators that will be installed on four tankers under construction at Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry in Fujian Province.
The 113,600-dwt LNG dual-fuel Aframax vessels, designed by the Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI), are being built for UK-based shipowner Union Maritime and are slated for delivery in the first half of 2027. Swiss-based WinGD is the system integrator for the PTO system.
The Switch’s single drives will manage power output delivered from the ships' two-stroke engines, ensuring the shaft generators operate as efficiently as possible, thereby helping to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Connecting shaft generators to a vessel’s AC system is just one use case for The Switch single drives. Others include propulsion (connecting various types of electric motors to the AC system), battery (connecting a battery pack to the AC system) and other green energy sources (connecting fuel cells/solar/wind or other DC sources to the AC system). Both inline and geared drive solutions are available, with PTI-PTO and PTI-PTO-PTH functionality and a power range from 800 A to 5,600 A.
The Switch power electronics are designed specifically for the marine industry and optimized from a systems perspective. For instance, the drive can be directly connected to the vessel’s freshwater cooling system. The Switch power modules feature vibration dampers, and the cabinets have high enclosure protection to withstand the harsh marine environment.
