Damen Marine Components (DMC) has received the contract to supply the rudders and steering gear for the fifth Infinity-class vessel to be built for SunStone Ships by China Merchants Heavy Industries to an Ulstein design. The contract was awarded once again by propulsion specialist Brunvoll Volda, with whom DMC is working on this ongoing series.
DMC will supply two Van der Velden ATLANTIC rudders and two Van der Velden COMMANDER rotary vane steering gear systems. The ATLANTIC is a full-spade rudder with a surface area of 8m2 and steering gear torque of 110kNm.
The COMMANDER steering gear has a simple, robust and compact design with just one moving part and a second-generation compact actuator for the smoothest rudder movements. Mounted inside closed housings, DMC’s advanced sealing technology prevents internal leakage and ensures a greatly extended seal life. The result is a claimed trouble-free operation for more than 60,000 hours between inspections.
The DMC components are an integral part of the system supply from Brunvoll, consisting of gearboxes and propellers, rudders, steering gear, a tunnel thruster and control systems. The propulsion system is a twin-screw, diesel-electric configuration. “This is a strategically important contract for Brunvoll as it confirms our position as an integrated system supplier of propulsion, manoeuvring and control systems to the cruise segment,” said Geir-Arne Kaspersen, Vice President Sales of Brunvoll Volda.
Wim Knoester, Director Sales and Marketing at Damen Marine Components, added “We are glad that Damen Marine Components is part of the Infinity-class project. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with our partners Brunvoll Volda and to completing the initial agreement of ten vessels.”
