At 220 meters long and 102 meters wide, Sleipnir entered service as the world’s largest crane vessel, with two 10,000-tonne revolving cranes. GE was chosen to provide a high-performance electrical power and propulsion system powerful enough to meet the operational energy needs of such a ‘sea giant’.
 

Challenge
 

Sleipnir’s career would be faced with critical operational roles, safely lifting and moving some of the largest assets at sea out in challenging deepwater conditions, from wind farm installation to rig decommissioning.

Playing such an important role in the offshore sector’s energy transition, it was important her own systems would be energy-efficient and reliable.

In addition to helping to reduce emissions through GE’s Ship’s Electric Grid power and propulsion solution, Sleipnir was the world’s first crane vessel with dual-fuel engines running on either marine gas oil (MGO) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).
 

Solution

GE’s solution includes an integrated electric propulsion and power network system, conceived and customized to meet requirements specific to the project:

• Generating and distributing electricity to power the vessel’s entire, considerable onboard systems, and therefore enabling its ability to perform on-contract.
• 12 sets of 8-megawatt (MW) generators, eight units of 5.5MW propulsion motors, medium-voltage switchboards, transformers, and MV7000 drives.
• Digital Suite Visor remote monitoring and diagnostics system.
• Entire power system designed for fault tolerance in accordance with Lloyd’s Register’s Rules and Regulations (DP AAA).

Benefits
 

Coupled with GE’s electric propulsion system, the vessel is able to achieve lower emissions when on operations, helping our customers get the job done competitively and sustainably.

• GE’s optimized power architecture is more compact than standard solutions, achieved through our SeaLab team’s system integration expertise.
• Benefitting from GE Power Conversion’s Digital Suite with advanced sensors connected in the network, to monitor the health of each piece of equipment in real time and signal possible malfunctions.
• Together, these measures result in a compact, yet highly sophisticated solution, which facilitates operations while helping to minimize downtime and increase availability.

Latest two new mega cruise ships join the MSC Cruises fleet, 14 of which use electrical propulsion from GE Power Conversion.

As the long-term demand for cruise holidays indicates it will keep increasing, despite recent challenges, fleets continue to grow, incorporating the latest designs.

GE Power Conversion’s marine electric propulsion is an attractive solution for the cruise sector, meeting the requirements for energy-efficient and comfortable ship propulsion alongside electric power to energize the passenger cruise experience.
 

Challenge
 

While stringent regulations and increased vessel sizes may pose new challenges, they bring with them a host of opportunities. We are delighted to continue to partner with a major cruise line with reliable and sustainable technology innovations.

New regulations are driving for more efficient operations with reduced carbon footprint, so while larger sizes of vessels with more facilities are becoming the norm, they need to also set new benchmarks for technology, including reliability and the move towards decarbonization.

With a gross tonnage of 169,400 GT and a total guest capacity of 5,632, MSC Cruises’ Seaside EVO ships are the largest cruise ships ever built by the Fincantieri shipyard.

Solution
 

Sailing full steam ahead, the MSC Cruises Seaside Class showcases our commitment to pushing the boundary of the future of cruising by unlocking the potential that a cruise ship can achieve.

MSC’s latest two mega cruise ships adopt a range of innovative design features and maritime technologies:

• GE electric propulsion system that brings operational efficiency and excellent manoeuvrability.
• GE’s solution consists of propulsion controls along with transformers, variable frequency drive (VFD) technology, propulsion motors and distribution transformers.
• GE-led consortium, with partners Imesa, Nidec, ASI, managing the overall electrical power and propulsion system.

“MSC Seaside EVO ships are longer and consequently more powerful than the previous two ships concerning power generation and propulsion motors. And we once again place our trust and count on GE, among other various partners, to deliver the outcome,” said Emilio La Scala, President & Managing Director, MSC Cruise Management UK.
 

Benefits
 

• The propulsion system will see an increased power rating compared to those onboard the previous two vessels in the series.
• Fuel consumption and reliability of cruise operations are brought together through more efficient and better integrated solutions.
• Reduced weight on board ships also brings fuel savings and altogether lowers MSC’s operating costs.
• Smooth voyage for cruise passengers while bringing cost savings for the operator.
• Eliminates the need for harmonic filters.