APRIL 26 2013 — Spain's PEVASA Group has ordered a complete propulsion system from MAN Diesel & Turbo for a new tuna vessel. The system is unique in that it comprises a package of three high-efficiency products, including a modern, medium-speed MAN 8L32/44CR engine with common-rail (CR) technology, a Renk RSVL-950 gear unit, and an innovative MAN Alpha VBS1100 CP propeller with Kappel propeller blade designs and rudder bulb. This combination increases the propulsion system's efficiency by up to at least 9 percent, reducing costs, fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions.

PEVASA was one of the first customers to opt for MAN Diesel & Turbo's CR technology, which controls the engine's fuel-injection pressure and timing to reduce overall fuel consumption. In 2009 it purchased a structurally identical CR-engine that completed the upgrade of its existing six-boat tuna fishing fleet.

The Kappel propeller adds another plus to the package through a special design that reduces the power-consuming vortices formed at the propeller tip region. MAN Diesel & Turbo acquired Kappel Propeller Designs, including all rights, in early 2012 and is currently the sole provider of this cutting-edge technology.

The new updated propulsion configuration was recently model tested at CEHIPAR in Spain and the ø4500 Kappel propeller with MAN Diesel & Turbo's CFD-optimized rudder bulb fitted on a Becker twisted rudder offered a 9.2 percent propulsion efficiency improvement at 18.5 knots compared to the vessel configuration previously tested.

"This propulsion package is the most energy-efficient solution that we currently offer," said MAN Diesel & Turbo's Frederik Carstens, Head of MSO and Sales Manager of the Medium Speed Business Unit. He believes that PEVASA's order reveals a trend among customers in the marine segment who are increasingly interested in fuel efficiency. Another new order that supports this assessment is that from Italian shipyard, Visentini, which has ordered a complete package consisting of two new 9L32/44CR engines with CR technology, smooth-running Renk gearboxes, and innovative MAN Alpha propellers.