Schottel wins seven-ship order for rudder propellers

German marine engineering company, Schottel, has won an order from Scotland’s Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) for a series of seven rudder-propeller systems for double-ended electric ferries to be built at Remontowa Shipbuilding in Poland.

The battery-powered ferries will be deployed on nine routes off Scotland’s west coast, linking island communities with the mainland. The batteries will be charged overnight and will enable zero-emission operation. Six of the ships will have capacity for 150 passengers and 24 cars; the seventh vessel will carry up to 250 passengers and 16 cars.

The chosen propulsion systems comprise four Schottel RudderPropellers type SRP 100 L for each vessel. Each unit incorporates an L-Drive which eliminates the need for an upper gearbox, saves energy, and requires less maintenance. The setup also reduces vibration and noise. For faster transits, the ferries will be able to gain extra thrust from the company’s SDC nozzles.

CMAL’s director of Vessels, Jim Anderson, commented: “For the new Loch-class ferries, our focus was on achieving excellent manoeuvrability, redundancy and high efficiency. Moreover, as part of Scotland’s critical transport infrastructure, these vessels must deliver maximum reliability. With Schottel’s modern propulsion systems, we are confident that all these requirements are fully met.”

The seven ferries are a part of CMAL’s Small Vessel Replacement Programme and are central to the company’s strategy of renewing its smaller ships and upgrading port facilities to handle them efficiently.