Pon Power Scandinavia secures record-breaking contract

Pon Power Scandinavia, one of the region’s leading suppliers of marine power and propulsion systems, is pleased to announce that the company has been contracted by ALP Maritime Services and Ulstein Design & Solutions to provide engines and gensets to four ocean-going AHTS.

Designed to tow large structures over long distances, the ALP Future Class tugs represent next-generation of AHTS. The vessels, developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions in close cooperation with the owner, ALP Maritime Services, are SX157 design, with a 300-ton bollard pull, capable of operating at full loads for 45 days without refuelling.

According to Trond Skaufel, Managing Director for Pon Power Scandinavia, the contract represents a genuine milestone for the company. “We are excited to be a part of this project and congratulate both ALP Maritime Services and Ulstein Design & Solutions on the development of these remarkable vessels,” he says. “The contract gives us an opportunity to not only demonstrate the quality of our engines, but show how our team can add value during installation and commissioning.”

Tor Arne Grötting, Supply Chain Manager for Ulstein Design & Solutions, notes that while the company enjoys close working relationships with many engine manufacturers, they are looking forward to working with Pon Power on the project. "We are very familiar with the Cat gensets and together with the owner, we concluded that the Pon Power engine package where these gensets are combined with the MaK 600 rpm engines was the right solution for these vessels," he says.  "Pon Power has shown that in addition to providing excellent technical resources, they respond quickly when issues arise."

Øystein Solberg, Account Manager for Pon Power Scandinavia, says that under the terms of the contract, Pon Power Scandinavia will provide four main engines and gensets for all four vessels. “To generate the necessary power for these vessels, ALP Maritime Services and Ulstein Design & Solutions selected 18,000 kw MaK 9M32C engines,” he says. “Pon Power will also supply three CAT C32 auxiliary gensets and one emergency CAT C9 genset  per vessel to provide additional power and redundancy.”

The 3000 tonne ALP “Future Class” vessels have been designed to manage a growing number of ultra-large floating production units now on order. The size of these new offshore floating production units has created a demand for increasingly large and powerful vessels to perform mooring leg survey, maintenance, repositioning, refurbishment and/or decommissioning services in increasingly remote locations.

Solberg explains that the long stroke 320mm bore main engines are capable of generating 4,500 break kilowatts of power. “The 9M32C MaK engines are reliable and fuel efficient, and because they operate at a 600 rpms, are ideally suited for vessels requiring a lot of power over a long period of time,” he says.  “In addition, the CAT gensets are mounted on Pon Power’s GenFlex solution, which helps reduce vibration and minimises maintenance.”

ALP Maritime Services, which was recently acquired by Teekay Offshore, has contracted Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair yard to build the vessels. The first AHTS  scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2015.