Caterpillar Marine - Marine Engines Caterpillar

MaK M 43 C engines for the „AIDAdiva“
First engine quartet delivered
to Meyer Werft
Following the delivery of the first
two MaK 9 M 43 C engines from
Caterpillar Motorenwerk Rostock
to Meyer Werft in Papenburg in April, a
further two engines of this type were
delivered to the German cruise ship
specialist after passing their acceptance
test in early June. All four engines
of the propulsion plant for the “AID-
Adiva”, the first of four new AIDA club
ships planned, are thus at the yard.
Keeping to an ambitious schedule, the
impressive engine quartet has meanwhile
been installed in the engine room
of the “AIDAdiva” that is taking shape.
The “Sphinx” project
With this project, Caterpillar Marine
Power Systems is taking another great
step forward with its long-term strategy
in the cruise ship segment. A year
ago, Meyer Werft signed the contract
for four MaK 9 M 43 C engines for
installation in the next generation of
AIDA cruise ships. It decided to cooperate
with Caterpillar Marine after carrying
out a detailed analysis of rival
systems, with special attention being
paid to a low sound level, high reliability
and low pollutant emissions. In late
summer 2005, AIDA Cruises – a subsidiary
of Costa Crociere, itself owned by
the market leader Carnival Corporation
– decided to order a third vessel of the
“Sphinx” class. On the occasion of its
tenth anniversary on June 12th 2006,
AIDA Cruises then placed an order for
a fourth sister ship from Meyer Werft.
Work on the first vessel began in October
2005, and the keel-laying ceremony
was held in Papenburg on March 3rd
2006. The “AIDAdiva” is due for delivery
on April 15th 2007 – after a construction
time of 400 days. The other three
ships are to follow in 2008, 2009 and
2010 respectively.
Each newbuilding has a length of
252m and a beam of 32.2m and provides
1,025 cabins, accommodating
a total of 2,050 passengers. The propulsion
system comprises four MaK
engines 9 M 43 C with an overall output
of 36,000 kW, driving two single propel-
lers via electric motors as well as two
bow thrusters and two stern thrusters.
The plant also generates the electricity
for all other high-consumption
systems on board, such as the airconditioning
plant, hotel/restaurant facilities
and the state-of-the-art wellness
area. There is also, of course, adequate
engine performance for the propulsion
of the 68,500 gt newbuildings, which
have a top speed of 21 knots.
Tailor-made propulsion plant
To ensure higher engine reliability,
AIDA opted for a specially adapted
design of the M 43 C. This offers as
additional features:
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A slow turning device for reliable
engine remote starting
A connecting rod bearing temperature
monitoring system to prevent the
bearings seizing up
Advanced resilient engine mounting
to minimise engine vibrations and
their transmission on to the hull and
The DICARE monitoring system, permitting
users to call up engine operating
data at any time, even from shore
For cruise ship operation, it is also
very important that each of the MaK
9 M 43 C engines features the Flexible
Camshaft Technology (FCT). This proven
element of Caterpillar’s ACERTTM technology
was developed to keep soot particle
emissions over the entire load area
AI DA-Newbuilding
With its appearance and its concept the vessels of the “Sphinx” class will surely
inspirit the international market of cruise vessels
below the optical perception limit and
reduce NOx emissions to well below
the IMO limit values.
Test passed
These additional functions of MaK
9 M 43 C engines specially envisaged
for AIDA Cruises were accordingly the
focus of attention for customer acceptance.
Representatives of AIDA Cruises,
Meyer Werft, Germanischer Lloyd, Carnival
Corporate Shipbuilding and the
Caterpillar dealer Zeppelin/MaK Deutschland
attended the two-day test
run on the engine stand at Caterpillar
Motoren Rostock.
After two very busy days, all the necessary
measurement results were
finally available. All the participants
approved the concluding report of the
acceptance test for the MaK 9 M 43
C, which yielded extraordinarily positive
results. The new vibration dampers
proved to be very effective, the engines
started even with very low available
air pressure and the Flexible Camshaft
Technology of MaK proved to be highly
successful in reducing soot particle
emissions.
Delighted customers
“Flawless, clean design with very
good access to all main components,”
was how Chris Joly, Principal Manager –
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