Shunhai Shipyard Delivers Caterpillar Equipment Platform Supply Vessel

In early March 2022, against the backdrop of the global epidemic posing huge challenges for ship exporters, Guangzhou Shunhai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. delivered four platforms equipped with Caterpillar engines and generator sets to Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil production company. ferry. Shunhai Shipyard is one of the top 50 ship export enterprises in China. It mainly builds civil steel ships of less than 20,000 tons and has rich experience in ship construction and management.

The four platform supply vessels delivered this time are all 62.8 meters long, and are mainly responsible for delivering supplies to the Saudi Aramco oil platform. The key indicators put forward by Saudi Aramco for this batch of platform supply ships include: to meet the requirements of bollard drag, loading capacity and maximum draft, and the speed should not be lower than 11 knots when the deadweight reaches 85%. Shunhai Shipyard, Caterpillar and Caterpillar Xinchang Machinery have researched and decided to equip each platform supply vessel with 2 sets of Cat 3516C marine engines (2575bhp@1600rpm) and 3 sets of C18 (565ekw 60Hz@1800rpm) marine generator sets. It is classified by BV classification society. This gives the four boats a lot of power and reliable electricity to maintain speed at near full loads.

The Cat 3516C marine main engine has higher engine power and can provide strong torque at different speeds. The advanced electronic control system improves the monitoring, communication and display performance of the engine, and reduces the difficulty of connecting with the ship’s system. With the advanced J1939 on-site communication network, operators can monitor the running status of the engine synchronously no matter where they are in the engine room, centralized control room, or front and rear cabs. At the same time, the oil and diesel filters of the 3516C can be replaced without stopping, ensuring the continuous operation of the engine.

The four platform ships delivered to Saudi Aramco this time also use Cat C18 marine generator sets. The generator set adopts an electronic fuel injection system, which not only increases power, but also reduces fuel consumption and improves environmental performance. The C18 adopts a simpler in-line six-cylinder design, which is easier to repair and maintain. Advanced ADEM electronic governor and permanent magnet excitation system endow the engine with good stability. At the same time, C18 uses marine MPD display screen and the same J1939 communication interface as the main engine, which can realize the integration of the entire ship control system.

Due to the escalation of entry and exit control over the epidemic, how to smoothly deliver ships to customers has become a difficult problem for Shunhai Shipyard. After multiple comparisons and analysis, Shunhai Shipyard decided to boldly try an innovative method, using a semi-submersible vessel that is still seldom used in the industry to ship four platform carriers, which not only solves the problem of entry, but also saves more costs. Although the transportation operation of semi-submersible ships is very difficult, and such ships are mostly driven by tugboats and cables, the ships that need to be transported are towed to the semi-submersible ships, but Shunhai Shipyard boldly adopts the method of boarding the ship with its own power. That is, the four platform supply vessels drive themselves onto the semi-submersible vessel. In addition to experienced sailors, ship loading also relies on Caterpillar’s powerful and stable engine products to ensure accurate and smooth loading of platform ships.
Caterpillar marine equipment is widely used in the global marine machinery field and has won high praise from customers. Caterpillar marine equipment has a wide range of power and can be selected at any time according to the actual needs of the ship. With outstanding reliability and stability, Caterpillar generator sets and engines are trusted by customers. With the support of Caterpillar’s global dealer network, customer ships can be repaired and maintained anywhere in the world, near and far.