They will each be powered by a pair of MT30 gas turbines, the most powerful in service marine gas turbine. Each ship will be powered through the water by a pair of nickel aluminium bronze propellers, measuring almost seven metres in diameter and weighing 33 tonnes.
Each propeller will deliver around 50,000 horse-power – the highest power Kamewa propeller ever developed by Rolls-Royce. The stabilising fins are retractable and can be extended from their housing in the ship’s hull to stabilise the vessel when sailing through rough seas.
Once deployed, stabilisers pivot to counteract the roll of the sea and lift the vessel in a concept similar to that of an aircraft’s wing. Stabilisers perform an essential role in steadying a ship during various operations such as the use of weaponry, refuelling or during the take-off and landing of aircraft.
The Rolls-Royce scope of supply also includes the low voltage electrical power distribution system, comprising more than 400 individual switchboards, the steering gear that controls the ship’s rudders, and an innovative system for handling cargo transferred in ship-to-ship replenishment operations.