EVENDALE, Ohio - GE Marine Engines announced it would supply Motoren- und Turbinen-Union (MTU), Friedrichshafen, Germany with two GE LM2500+ aeroderivative gas turbines. The units will be used to power the Corsaire 14000-class monohull fast ferry being built for operator, Maritime Company of Lesvos (NEL), Piraeus, Greece."This is a milestone project as it marks the first GE gas turbine-powered fast ferry slated to operate in Greece, although the Greek Navy currently uses GE's LM2500 gas turbines in their fleet of modern frigates" said John Ferrera, regional director of GE Marine Engines. "GE's state-of-the-art gas turbine technology is the wave of the future for ship operators that want flexible and efficient operation with minimal maintenance requirements." Alstom Leroux Naval Shipyard in France is building this new class of fast ferry for NEL. The same shipyard built the Corsaire 13000-class monohull fast ferry that also uses two LM2500+ gas turbines. The Corsaire 13000 will be placed into service in June 2000 by Societe Nationale Maritime Corse Mediterranee (SNCM), Marseille, France.For the Corsaire 14000, the LM2500+ gas turbines will be used in a COmbined Diesel And Gas turbine (CODAG) configuration with two diesel engines. Total propulsion system output will be 66 megawatts. The 140-meter long fast ferry will be designed to carry 1,800 passengers and 442 cars or 38 trucks or 125 cars plus 80 motor bikes, with a cruising speed of 42 knots on its route from Piraeus to the island of Lesvos.GE Marine Engines will manufacture the LM2500+ gas turbines at its Evendale, Ohio facility. The gas turbines will be placed into marine propulsion packages and configured into the CODAG system by MTU.The new Corsaire 14000 fast ferry is slated for commercial service beginning in the summer of 2001. MTU, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany, is a company of the DaimlerChrysler Group and a leading supplier of plants for electric power generation and drive systems for land, water and railroad applications. MTU packages GE LM gas turbines for marine and power generation applications.
GE Marine Engines is part of GE Aircraft Engines and is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio.
GE Marine Engines is the world's largest designer, developer and manufacturer of aeroderivative gas turbines for a variety of commercial and military marine propulsion applications. Visit GE Marine Engines at Marine Propulsion section of our website.