EVENDALE, Ohio - GE Marine Engines announced that 36 GE LM aeroderivative gas turbines have accumulated more than 600,000 hours operating aboard 16 fast ferries.
"The first fast ferry to use a GE gas turbine began operating more than 10 years ago. Since that time, fast ferry operators have selected our gas turbines for a variety of propulsion system configurations,"said Karl Matson, general manager of GE Marine Engines. "This milestone further demonstrates the outstanding reliability and availability of the LM gas turbines for fast ferry applications," Matson added.
GE's complete line of aeroderivative gas turbines includes the LM500 (6,000 shaft horsepower) [shp], the LM1600 (20,000 shp), the LM2500 (33,600 shp), the LM2500+ (40,500 shp) and the LM6000 (57,330 shp).
Fast Ferry Experience
GE remains a leading supplier of gas turbine-based propulsion systems for fast ferries. What follows is a brief overview of the company's fast ferry experience.
The first gas turbine-powered fast ferry in Greece entered service in the summer of 2001. The Corsaire 14000-class monohull is powered by two GE LM2500+ gas turbines in a COmbined Diesel and Gas (CODAG) turbine arrangement with two diesel engines. The ship was built for operator Maritime Company of Levos (NEL), Piraeus, Greece, by Alstom Leroux Naval Shipyard in France.
The MDV 3000 fast ferry program uses GE LM2500 gas turbines on the vessels Capricorn, Scorpio, Ariesand Taurus. These fast ferries operate in the summer months on the Civitavecchia-to-Sardinia Island and Genoa-to-Sardinia Island routes in Italy.
The MDV 3000s are the world's largest fast ferries, and were built by FINCANTIERI, Genoa, Italy for Tirrenia Lines. Total power output is more than 70 megawatts per vessel. The ferries are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 40 knots, and can carry 1,800 passengers and 460 vehicles.
Another operation has twelve LM aeroderivative gas turbines in service on the three Highspeed Sea Service (HSS) fast ferries -- Stena Explorer, Stena Voyager and Stena Discovery -- since April 1996, July 1996 and June 1997, respectively. Owner Stena Line AB, Gothenburg, Sweden, operates the HSS ferries on the Irish Sea and between the United Kingdom and The Netherlands.
Each semi-swath fast ferry has two LM1600 and two LM2500 gas turbines in a COmbined Gas and Gas (COGAG) turbine configuration. Finnyards in Rauma, Finland built the vessels. The HSS fast ferries measure 126 meters long by 40 meters wide. Each vessel can achieve speeds of more than 40 knots and have the capacity for 1,500 passengers, 375 cars, or 50 trucks and 100 cars.
Shipyards will likely continue to develop fast ferries and high-speed cargo vessels to transport passengers, vehicles and time-sensitive materials. Gas turbines provide the advantage of low weight and volume for the high-power requirements of fast vessels.
"Optimum configurations for specific operating profiles often include the use of combined prime movers including gas turbines and diesels. The broad range of available gas turbines from GE can meet the demands of this evolving market for fast ferries and fast cargo vessels," Matson concluded.
GE Marine Engines is part of GE Aircraft Engines and is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio. GE Marine Engines is the world's largest designer, developer and manufacturer of aeroderivative gas turbines for a variety of commercial and military marine propulsion applications. Visit GE Marine Engines on the worldwide web at www.geae.com.