In 2005, the Rotterdam ship owner VT (Verenigde Tankrederij) decided to build the largest inland waterways tanker in the world: the MTS “Vorstenbosch”. With a length of 147.5 metres, a width of 22.80 metres and a cargo capacity of 13,317 tons, in every aspect the “Vorstenbosch” stands for efficiency, increased scale and durability. This impressive ship is used for the transportation, storage and bunkering of sea-going ships in the ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp. For the duplicated loading and unloading system of the “Vorstenbosch”, Econosto supplied an extensive package of Econ® high performance butterfly valves, including hydraulic power units. In addition, Econosto was responsible for commissioning and start-up.
The shell of the “Vorstenbosch” was built in China, after which Smits Machinefabriek en Scheepsreparatie, situated near Rotterdam, completed the building of the ship. The tanker has a so-called Schelde hull structure, which is twice as strong as that of a normal ship, therefore much larger cargo tanks can be used. Each of the 20 cargo tanks on the “Vorstenbosch” has a content of 760 m3. In total, the tanker has more than 13,000 tons of fuel on board: as much content as around 560 tanker vehicles! Thanks to the unequalled pumping capacity of 805 litres per minute, a ship can be fuelled in 5 to 10 hours.
Double loading and unloading system
VT’s new flagship has a double loading and unloading system. This enables it to deliver high and low sulphur products completely separately and to mix fuel oils. The loading and unloading system is equipped with a hydraulic control system, consisting of Econ® high performance butterfly valves with double-action proportionally controlled hydraulic actuators and two hydraulic power units, all of it integrated into the Huisman Elektrotechniek package.
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A large number of the high performance butterfly valves are positioned in the cargo tanks. These valves are equipped with customized actuators that can be used in fuel oil up to a temperature of 110°C.
Extended technical service
After the shipyard had installed the valves and hydraulic components, the Econosto service organisation took over responsibility for the commissioning and start-up of the hydraulic system. These activities included the checking, flushing, filling and commissioning of the complete system, the adjustment of the opening/closing time of each individual valve and checking the control of the actuator and open/closed indication in the Huisman system. The control and feedback of the valve position information is integrated into the Huisman Diagnostic System, a multifunctional control system developed by Huisman Maritiem and VT that provides complete control on all types of ship and vessel for all electrotechnical systems on board. The integration with this system was carried out in close consultation with Econosto.
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