Denise Kurtulus expressly recommends this fuel for sustainable yacht operation: "With this hydrogenated vegetable oil, a CO2 reduction of up to 90 per cent is already possible. We are convinced that there is no alternative to the combustion engine in the yacht market in the foreseeable future if performance and range requirements are to be met. The fuel used is the alternative, and that is currently HVO, which is now available in many ports. Many yacht captains and owners have already had excellent experiences with HVO. We have tested it extensively on our test benches and can confirm that mtu engines can run on it without any problems."
In the longer term, Denise Kurtulus favours methanol, but regrets that green methanol, i.e. methanol produced with the help of renewable energy, is not yet widely available. Kurtulus: "Rolls-Royce is continuing to work on the development of a methanol engine. "When green methanol is available as an alternative fuel in the required volume, we will have the right engine for it," emphasises Kurtulus. The market for such engines is currently limited to pilot applications.
The third component of the "Bridge to Propeller" concept, the POD drive, is also designed entirely for efficiency. The compact drive combines the gearbox and rudder system and reduces fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent. In addition, the POD improves the manoeuvrability of the ship. The combination of mtu engine and POD has already gone into series production: At the Cannes Yacht Show, Italian yacht manufacturer Azimut is presenting its "Grande 30" model for the first time, in which such a coordinated system ensures high performance, comfort and efficiency. This solution is the result of intensive collaboration between Azimut and Rolls-Royce, which included extensive testing of the entire propulsion system on a special test bench at the Rolls-Royce factory.
Background:
The "From Bridge to Propeller" strategy is based on four pillars:
- Combustion engines with improved characteristics that can already be operated with HVO today, which ultimately improves the CO2 balance by up to 90 per cent, combined with exhaust aftertreatment systems, with Rolls-Royce favouring methanol as the marine fuel of the future.
- Modular electrification of the powertrain, for example for larger yachts modelled on commercial vessels such as the hybrid ferries in Sicily. Intelligent energy management, for example for the integration of batteries, is one of Rolls-Royce's core competencies.
- Integrated systems consisting of the most suitable components from the broad "From Bridge to Propeller" portfolio in a future-proof architecture, for example with POD drives, energy management and automation. The mtu NautIQ bridge systems from Rolls-Royce subsidiary Team Italia Marine are a core element for automation and monitoring.
- Analysis of data to reduce fuel consumption, increase efficiency and enable predictive maintenance and damage detection.
Press photos for download can be found at Media Centre (mtu-solutions.com)