Rolls-Royce unveils new product range in Cannes

Rolls-Royce is launching a series of new bridge and propulsion systems for the yacthing sector. The company’s Power Systems division has already presented its 'Bridge-to-Propeller' portfolio at the Cannes Yachting Festival and is preparing to repeat the exercise at the Monaco Yacht Show later this month.

The products include new fully integrated bridge and automation systems developed with Team Italia, acquired by Rolls-Royce in July 2023, and mtu NautIQ. There are new engines designed for sustainable fuels, new mtu ZF pod systems, and the Hybrid PropulsionPack for emission-free operation.

Central to the product range are the mtu Series 2000 and 4000 yacht engines which have been modified to allow operation on renewable diesel (HVO). The engines are available with exhaust aftertreatment systems to comply with IMO Tier III regulations. Hybrid propulsion systems and engines designed to run on methanol as fuel are also being developed.

The company’s vice president Global Marine, Denise Kurtulus, commented: “Using fully integrated systems, we can best meet the different requirements of our customers when operating a vessel. We are already using artificial intelligence for this purpose and the trend is increasing.”

Nicola Camuffo, head of the mtu Yacht Competence Center in La Spezia, said: “In a world where the complexity of on-board systems is increasing due to different customer requirements and new regulations –  with hybrid and electric propulsion systems, exhaust aftertreatment systems, alternative fuels etc – our integrated bridge represents a perfect infrastructure, providing a single point of access to all information in a structured and efficient way. The same infrastructure will host autonomous functions, equipment health management (vessel monitoring systems) from the mtu NautIQ portfolio and other data-driven functions in the future”.