Brunvoll to provide propulsion system for Vard cable layer

Norway’s Brunvoll will supply an entire propulsion and manoeuvring system for an advanced cable layer under construction at Vard Brattvåg for Dutch marine engineering company, Van Oord. The vessel, of Vard 9 02 design, will feature a range of sustainable technologies when it is delivered in 2023.

Brunvoll will provide two 2.5-MW azimuth propulsion thrusters with propellers in nozzles, a combined, retractable azimuth/tunnel thruster of 1.5 MW, and two tunnel thrusters, each of 2.1 MW. All units have controllable pitch propellers and can run at variable speeds. The Brunvoll system will enable the 130m-long DP2 vessel to maintain its position, even in extreme weather conditions.

The simultaneous control of both speed and propeller pitch, known as combinator control, generates less noise both on the vessel and into the sea, less structural vibration, and lower energy consumption, Brunvoll said. The cable layer will be capable of operating on biofuels and will have a large battery pack to supplement power requirements.