Rolls-Royce is adding pod drives to its mtu yacht portfolio, in cooperation with marine propulsion specialists ZF.

“Our strategic goal is to offer our customers integrated, highly efficient solutions in the yacht market — from bridge to propeller,” says Denise Kurtulus, vice president of global marine at the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems. “This includes our bridge solutions, automation and crew assistance systems, mtu engines, mtu hybrid systems, and now pod drives.”

Rolls-Royce is showcasing its bridge-to-propeller solutions at the Cannes Yachting Festival this week, which runs until 17 September 2023.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems and ZF are now expanding their longstanding partnership in marine propulsion systems to include pod propulsion packages in the power range of up to 1,250 kilowatts (1,700 hp) and later also up to 1,470 kW (2,000 hp), based on mtu Series 2000 engines and ZF’s POD 4600.

“We offer this integrated solution to provide a better yachting experience with easier manoeuvrability and space and efficiency gains,” says Kurtulus. “Propulsion efficiency can be increased by up to 15 per cent with the mtu-ZF combined solution, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. Compared to conventional fixed propeller drives, the yacht’s manoeuvrability can be significantly improved.”

Federico Decio, head of business unit marine and special driveline technology at ZF, adds: “We know that shipbuilders around the world count on ZF to bring performance, efficiency, and reliability to a growing variety of vessels. And that’s exactly what we have achieved with the new ZF POD Propulsion 4600 System.”

The new systems will be offered for series-production yachts up to around 30 metres in length with a top speed of up to 32 knots, and for workboats such as crew transfer vessels.

New projects are being developed in close cooperation between Rolls-Royce with its Italian-based Yacht Competence Centre, ZF and yacht manufacturers. In the future, Rolls-Royce says it will supply the complete propulsion package to the customer.

Rolls-Royce releases mtu Series 2000 and 4000 yacht engines for sustainable fuels

In other news confirmed this week, Rolls-Royce has approved the main Series 2000 and 4000 mtu engines for yachts for EN15940 synthetic diesel fuels. These fuels include the sustainable fuels BtL (Biomass to Liquid), HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and PtL (Power to Liquid) such as e-diesel. All of them can replace conventional diesel fuel, which is made from fossil petroleum, in these engines without any adjustments.

The post Rolls-Royce partners with ZF on integrated pod propulsion systems appeared first on Marine Industry News.