Americas News
Ferry Retrofit Drops Bunker Use by 32 percent
The conversion of a U.S. fast ferry from waterjet propulsion to a propeller system has reduced fuel use by 32 percent, industry news site The Motorship reports.
The retrofit of the Seastreak catamaran ferry Wall Street, which operates in New York Harbour, replaced four Cummins KTA50 diesel engines coupled to Kamewa A50 water jets with two MTU 16V4000 M53 diesels and a Servogear Ecoflow propulsor system.
The change in systems reduced the total engine output by 35 percent, to 3,680 kW, but increased the ferry's maximum speed from 32 to 34 knots.
The propeller system uses computer controls to optimise engine speed and power, propeller pitch, and the ferry's speed.
The reduction in power has dropped the cost of fuel for the ferry by $500,000 per year and cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per passenger in half.
Norwegian propeller maker Servogear says the propeller system is more efficient than any competitors' thanks to features including a large-diameter propeller with slower rotational speed and optimised water flow at the entry to the propeller.
Propeller performance, along with hull optimisation, is the subject of a proposed industry standard that supporters say could help ship operators reduce their fuel costs.
