Turkey orders Roll-Royce’s MTU engines

Rolls-Royce will supply MTU diesel engines for six new search and rescue (SAR) vessels being built by Damen Shipyards for the Turkish Coast Guard, the company announced on 19 January.

The International Organisation for Migration awarded a contract to Damen Shipyards to build the SAR vessels in November 2016. Each will be powered by two eight-cylinder MTU Series 2000 engines. The first of the six vessels is expected to be delivered in May 2017 and the remainder by the end of the year.

The vessels will assist SAR operations along the Turkish coast. They are designed to be self-righting; should they capsize, the MTU engines will keep on running even in the extreme event that the vessel completes a full 360° vertical roll around its longitudinal axis.

The vessels are designed and equipped to operate as lifeboats and the aluminium hull is based on Damen’s axe-bow technology. The MTU 8V 2000 M84L engines enable a top speed of 33 knots for SAR operations.

Knut Müller, head of the marine and government business division at MTU, said: ‘We have designed our engines specifically for such difficult operational conditions, including the unlikely event of capsizing. They are equipped with a special kit, which ensures that there is sufficient oil available to coat the engine parts with a film of lubricant.’