Damen Marine Components receives steering system contract for SunStone’s fifth Infinity-class 200 pax polar expedition cruise ship
Damen Marine Components (DMC) has received the contract to supply the rudders and steering gear for the fifth Infinity-class vessel to be built for SunStone Ships by China Merchants Heavy Industries to an Ulstein design. The contract was awarded once again by propulsion specialist Brunvoll Volda, with whom DMC is working on this ongoing series.
DMC will supply two Van der Velden® ATLANTIC rudders and two Van der Velden COMMANDER™ rotary vane steering gear systems. The ATLANTIC is a full-spade rudder with a surface area of eight square metres and steering gear torque of 110 kNm. It delivers excellent course-keeping, particularly on long-distance, straight line voyages. The COMMANDER™ steering gear is likewise a dependable choice for long-distance, open ocean vessels. It has a simple, robust and compact design with just one moving part and a second-generation compact actuator for the smoothest rudder movements. Mounted inside closed housings, DMC’s advanced sealing technology prevents internal leakage and ensures a greatly extended seal life. The result is trouble-free operation for more than 60,000 hours between inspections.
The DMC components are an integral part of the system supply from Brunvoll, consisting of gearboxes and propellers, rudders, steering gear, a tunnel thruster and control systems. The propulsion system is a twin-screw, diesel-electric configuration.
“This is a strategically important contract for Brunvoll as it confirms our position as an integrated system supplier of propulsion, manoeuvring and control systems to the cruise segment,” says Geir-Arne Kaspersen, Vice President Sales of Brunvoll Volda.
Mr Wim Knoester, Director Sales and Marketing at Damen Marine Components, added “We are glad that Damen Marine Components is part of the INFINITY-class project. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with our partners Brunvoll Volda and to completing the initial agreement of ten vessels.”
Sunstone Ships specialises in the commercial management of passenger ships and is responsible for the buying, selling and chartering of its managed fleet. In line with its focus on the small ship / expedition cruise segment the Infinity class is 104 metres long, has a beam of 18 metres wide and a draught of 5.3 metres. They can accommodate up to 200 passengers and 115 crew members, and are built to Ice Class 1A, Polar Code 6 and Safe Return to Port specifications. Additional features include Ulstein’s patented X-BOW® design, dynamic positioning and zero speed stabilisers.
Of the five vessels already ordered, the first, named Greg Mortimer, was delivered in September 2019 and is chartered to Aurora Cruises Australia. The next four vessels; the Ocean Victory, the Ocean Explorer, the Ocean Odyssey and the Ocean Discoverer are scheduled for delivery in, respectively, September 2020, February 2021, March 2022 and September 2022. SunStone is also in negotiations for another five vessels of the same class due to extensive interest from the cruise industry.
Damen Marine Components
Damen Marine Components (DMC) designs and manufactures a range of premium systems that are vital for the propulsion, manoeuvring and performance of vessels engaged in all types of maritime activity. These include short sea, deep sea, offshore, ocean-going, inland waterways and naval vessels, and superyachts.
Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.
Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.
Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.
For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.
Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating (and covered) drydocks, including the longest, 420 x 80 metres, and the widest, 405 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.
