Last week our colleague Fred Duel together with Leon den Haan of TeamCo Shipyard signed the official contract for the supply of 4 Masson Marine W4400 NC non shiftable reduction gear boxes intended for two new build vessels. The end customer will use the vessels for navigation on the river Rhône. 

The gearboxes will be fully 3.2 certified by Bureau Veritas, and installed in the diesel electric powered vessels by mid-April 2022. The 3.2 certificates are part of the process of building the vessels in compliance with European standard EN-10204 which regulates the inspection documents for metallic products.

“This type of Masson reducer box is the perfect choice for vessels with an electric propulsion system, amongst others thanks to the built in thrust bearing.” says Fred Duel. “Thanks to the selected gear ratio it is possible to use a high revving electric motor with a lower torque output. The shipbuilder can therefore use a smaller frame size electric motor. Doing so both cost and space requirements are significantly reduced. This new type of gearbox is based on an existing reversing gear design. This is very advantageous, because many standard parts remain the same.”

Supply specifications for each ship:
- 2 x MM W4400 NC @MASSON MARINE
- Reduction ratio 5,542:1
- Effective electrical power 700 kW @ 1.800 rpm with a maximum permissible power of 972 kW @1800 rpm

Shipbuilding Solutions designed the hull, the construction of which will be realized by TeamCo Shipyard in Heusden.

We look forward to a pleasant cooperation with TeamCo Shipyard to mutually make this project a success. We thank the yard for the confidence placed in us, and wish them a smooth and successful fitting out of the vessels.