The Atair, a 75 meter long and roughly 17 meter wide research vessel under construction at the Fassmer shipyard in Berne, Germany, is equipped with Schottel propulsion systems.
Ordered by the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the vessel meets the highest environmental standards and is believed to be the first LNG-fueled seagoing government agency vessel.
The ship is powered by two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines capable of running on either LNG or conventional liquid fuels., Wärtsilä’s supply scope also includes one 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20 engine, two exhaust cleaning systems based on selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, and a Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel storage, supply, and control system.
The propulsion system comprises a Schottel Pump Jet type SPJ 220 (1,000 kW), one Schottel Transverse Thruster type STT 1 FP (330 kW) in the bow and one Schottel Transverse Thruster type STT 170 FP (200 kW) in the stern.
The Schottel system gives the vessel maximum maneuevrability, while the Pump Jet can also be used as a standby unit (take-home device).
The Schottel propulsion units are also characterized by particularly low noise emissions. This ensures a protected maritime environment as well as optimal conditions for scientific work aboard the vessel. The vessel’s underwater noise has been optimized to meet the DNV SILENT class notation (SILENT R).
