Voith powers Rhine pusher tugs

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Two pusher tugs under construction at Dutch shipbuilder Barkmeijer Shipyards will be powered by Voith propeller units continuing a near 50-year relationship between vessel owner and propeller supplier

The pusher tugs will handle iron ore barges at Duisburg (Thyssen Krupp - RAL)

Anyone familiar with Europe’s inland waterways will likely have encountered pusher tug/barge combinations transhipping iron ore from deepsea terminals at ports such as Rotterdam and the thyssenkrupp Steel Europe plant at Duisburg in Germany.

The principle of hard-connected tug and barge combinations, in effect one connected unit, allows the tug to deliver full and empty barges at each end, continuing the round-trip without awaiting loading and unloading. There is a requirement however for smaller pusher tugs to shepherd the barges in the port area and it is two of thyssenkrupp’s pushers that date back to the 1970s, Thyssen I and Thyssen II which are being replaced.

The project is part of a modernisation programme that will see the older vessels make way for energy efficient diesel-electric replacements featuring Voith Schneider Propellers type 18R5 EC/150-1, each with an input power of 780kW. Delivery of the propellers is due imminently, the order consisting of five units, two for each vessel and a spare.

Thyssenkrupp’s choice once again of Voith propellers for its new tugs is supported by Voith’s comment that the operation ‘needs a strong propulsion system’ adding that the decision ‘was based on the high level of reliability and performance offered by the VSPs whereby the new vessels will operate even more efficiently thanks to the latest generation of VSP and the optimum integration into the ship design’. The high efficiency during operation has been verified by independent model tests.

Precise steering is required on the demanding waterways with changing conditions and water levels but when manoeuvring barges in the narrow port of Duisberg-Schwelgern it is not always possible to avoid shock on the vessels or contact with foreign bodies. Voith add that ‘Thanks to the robust design of the VSP these rarely result in damage to the propulsion system.’

Barkmeijer Shipyards is part of Thecla Bodewes Shipyards and the latter’s long experience with construction of small vessels including pusher tugs provides the foundation for construction of these niche vessels in the world of tug construction. Other Thecla Bodewes companies include TB Shipyards Harlingen, TB Shipyards Kampen and TB Shiprepair Meppel.

By Peter Barker