MV Werften to Use Siemens Onshore Power Supply System in Cruise Shipbuilding

German-based technology company Siemens has received an order from compatriot shipbuilder MV Werften Wismar to supply and install turnkey Siharbor onshore power supplies.

As informed, the onshore power supply system will be used to build Global Class cruise ships – the largest cruise ships ever built in Germany.

Measuring 340 meters in length and providing space for more than 5,000 passengers, these vessels are among the world’s largest cruise ships, and great amounts of energy are needed for their construction. An onshore power supply with a capacity of up to 12 MVA provides this energy simultaneously in dock and on the quay.

The order covers all the necessary components for powering the ships as well as the grid connection. It includes the complete substation, transformers, and medium-voltage switchgear. Siemens will also be responsible for service for a period of five years. The systems are expected to go into operation in the spring of 2019.

“We’re using the Siharbor solution for the first time in an environment other than right in port and are implementing a parallel power supply,” Axel Mohr, head of sales of the Siemens Energy Management Division for industry and infrastructure customers, Region North, said.

“We’re proud of this opportunity to do our part in making shipbuilding greener,” Mohr added.

The shipbuilder began to manufacture Global Class cruise ships earlier this year. These vessels were designed for the rapidly growing Asian cruise market.

In the past, external diesel generators were used during the first phase of construction. The generators produced energy at 60 Hz on land and transferred it to the ship. If the ship was provided with its own generator during the next phase, the latter supplied energy during the remaining fit out phase. The new onshore power supply can handle both steps simultaneously in dock and on the quay. The diesel generators can, therefore, remain shut down shoreside as well as on board of the ship under construction.

Unlike the German 50 Hz power grid, ships have an onboard electrical system with a frequency of 60 Hz. The 20 kV/50 Hz voltage supplied from the public grid is converted to the required voltage and frequency in the transformer substation. This frequency is 60 Hz during the first phase of shipbuilding and 440/60 Hz in the later production phase.

The combustion of ship fuels during lay time and construction is one of the main sources of air pollution in the areas around ports and wharves. Onshore power supplies contribute to improving air quality and enable significant savings potential when it comes to nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxide emissions, fine dust, and carbon dioxide emissions. An onshore power supply is also much quieter than a diesel generator, as explained by Siemens.