What are Siemens Energy’s electric propulsion solutions for marine vessels?

Siemens Energy offers a comprehensive portfolio of electric and diesel-electric propulsion systems, shaft generators, podded drives, and energy storage solutions designed to improve efficiency, reliability, and environmental performance across commercial and naval vessels.

How do marine electric propulsion systems improve vessel efficiency?

Electric propulsion allows engines to operate closer to their optimal load point, reducing specific fuel consumption and emissions while enabling flexible power distribution to thrusters and auxiliary systems.

What is diesel-electric propulsion and how does it work?

In diesel-electric propulsion, diesel generators produce electrical power that feeds frequency converters and electric motors, which in turn drive the propellers, decoupling engine speed from propeller speed and enabling highly efficient, flexible operation.

What are the main benefits of diesel-electric marine propulsion?

Key benefits include reduced fuel consumption, therefore lower emissions, quieter and low-vibration operation, and higher operational flexibility.

What advantages does SISHIP BlueDrive PlusC offer for marine propulsion?

Through its redundant topology SISHIP BlueDrive PlusC is a highly reliable propulsion system that enables individual speed control of engines, optimizes operational profiles for minimal fuel consumption, supports dynamic positioning, easily integrates other energy sources such as fuel cell and batteries, and offers a sophisticated power management system in one compact system.

How does the BlueVault energy storage system enhance marine propulsion?

BlueVault lithium-ion battery systems support all-electric and hybrid power plants by providing energy storage for peak shaving, spinning reserve, and backup power, significantly reducing onboard fuel consumption, emissions, and engine running hours.

What is the SGM shaft generator with motor function and why is it important?

The Shaft Generator with Motor function is a PTO/PTI system (power take-off/power take-in) that can work both as a shaft generator (PTO) and as a shaft motor (PTI) enabling electrical power generation and propulsion boost while reducing fuel consumption and emissions and supporting integration with waste-heat recovery or hybrid concepts.

Electric propulsion and drives for the maritime industry

The propulsion system has the biggest influence on performance, security, and cost-effectiveness. Fuel consumption, as the greatest single cost item, holds the biggest cost-saving potential for a ship’s operation.

Moreover, the choice of a suitable propulsion system influences a whole host of other factors:

quiet operation with low vibration will heighten onboard comfort;
power reserves and maneuverability will increase the vessel’s potential commercial value;
a modular, space-saving drive design will afford more flexibility when planning the layout of your ship.

Siemens Energy's integrated drive system concepts help you find the right technology for your purposes.

Diesel-electric marine propulsion systems reduce fuel requirements, increase maneuverability, minimize environmental risks, and make your ship quieter and more comfortable. However, their main advantage lies in the exceptional degree of fail-safety that Drive LV attains, thanks to its redundant system design. Indeed, Drive LV is the most reliable diesel-electric propulsion system ever built, making it a future-proof solution which helps to ensure the competitiveness of your vessels for the long term.

Profit from a perfectly planned system consisting of diesel generators, low-voltage switchgear, frequency converter, and drive motors in combination with an ingenious propulsion control and monitoring system.

Your advantages with Drive LV

Reliable, economical, and efficient operation
High investment protection
Significant reduction of fuel costs due to changes in ship operating profiles
Optimal availability and ease of maintenance thanks to standardized core components used worldwide
Power rating of up to 5,500 kW at 690 V for each propeller
Various configurations for individualized drive concepts

Designed without compromising power output and fail-safe performance, our Drive MV integrated drive system offers an almost unlimited power range. In addition to its high energy efficiency and low environmental impact, it is also marked by its quiet, low-vibration operation. And thanks to its state-of-the-art propulsion-control components and software, Drive MV allows vessels to be maneuvered with the highest precision.

Its redundancy design ensures the highest possible level of reliability. Right from the design phase, its simple, compact, and modular construction using standardized components provides maximum flexibility and scope and allows for worldwide availability of spare parts and ease of maintenance.

Your advantages with Drive MV

High performance with low consumption
Optimal operating security and fail-safe performance
Outstanding maneuverability
Quiet, low-vibration operation
Standardized components available worldwide
Increased competitiveness and investment protection

Submarines are the vessels that depend most on the complete reliability and operational readiness of their propulsion motors. A drive system that operates efficiently with very low signatures is essential for long dives and makes the boat harder to detect. The Permasyn motor for submarines is smaller and more lightweight than conventional propulsion solutions – and it achieves much better efficiency at extremely low signatures.

In the Permasyn motor for submarines, excitation is achieved with permanent magnets. This results in outstanding features in terms of uncompromising reliability and operational readiness, combined with high efficiency and extremely low signature values. The replacement of the electrical exciter by a permanent magnet makes possible extremely small and lightweight motors with high power density and high torque over the entire speed range. This enables the use of a larger propeller with significantly higher efficiency.

Your advantages with Permasyn

Permasyn features ultracompact construction thanks to integrated IGBT converter technology
Extremely low signature values
Low weight and high energy efficiency for longer submerged operation
Low heat emission, simplified electromagnetic shielding
Electronic speed regulation without torque-free shift intervals, switching noise, or high current peaks

Siemens Energy developed the SGM shaft generator with motor function in response to rising fuel costs and ever-stricter environmental regulations. It incorporates motor- and generator-driven operation in the vessel’s main drive system, and can be used for electrical power generation as well as for boosting the main drive system. At the same time, it significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions. The SGM shaft generator is available with either low- or medium-voltage technology and can be combined with waste-heat recovery or hybrid solutions to increase drive performance.

Your advantages with SGM

Enhanced competitiveness and investment protection
Seamless service and support
Standardized components available worldwide
Custom-designed for your requirements
Optimal operating security and fail-safe performance
Highly efficient shaft generator / motor systems from a single source

With the BlueDrive PlusC electric propulsion system, individual speed control of each engine over the entire engine speed region is possible. This is true, even for full diesel-electric vessels independent of synchronous speed. The control system will dynamically set the speed according to the at-all-times optimal operational point of the engine. With this, the BlueDrive PlusC control system secures that the diesel engines are operating at the lowest possible specific fuel consumption (g/kWh). During DP operation the advantages are substantial, because production and even spinning reserve can be realized with limited consumption, emission, and maintenance costs. To lower the fuel consumption even more, the system makes possible load shifting between the port and starboard parts of the system.

Your advantages with BlueDrive PlusC

Low emission of greenhouse gases
Low fuel consumption
Low investment cost compared to gas/dual fuel systems
Makes possible full utilization of SCR systems and reduced NOX emissions
Reduced maintenance cost on diesel engines
Increased lifetime of diesel engines, especially for high-speed engines
Reduced space, volume, and weight of the electrical system
Increased overall efficiency of the electrical system
Clean power supply to all auxiliary consumers
No rectifier transformers

BlueDrive PlusC – electrical power system

The synchronous generators are designed to operate in the same speed and power range as the connected diesel engine. Due to extended development of the power electronics, the main drive unit BlueDrive PlusC is created as a stand-alone, integrated unit, including the generator and bus-tie panel as well as the frequency converter controls for all thrusters and auxiliary drives. In addition, the unit provides clean power supply to all auxiliary consumers, and all electronics are based on known and well-proven technology. In addition to the operational advantages, the new unit reduces footprint, volume, and weight by at least 30 percent.

BlueDrive PlusC – power station control system

The BlueDrive PlusC unit is equipped with an integrated control system that realizes all genset control, drive control and power management functions within the unit itself. The speed and power of the diesel engines is controlled in correspondence with the total power consumption of the vessel. The electric system is only fed with active power from the generators; hence there is no circulating reactive power to handle. The speed and power characteristics of the diesel engine will be parameterized according to the selected diesel engine type. Integrated parts of the system are Power Management (PMS), Power Plant Protection (P3) and Generator Power Adaption Systems (GPA). All these systems are integrated in the integrated control system of the BlueDrive PlusC.

The BlueDrive PlusC for small vessels: BlueDrive Eco

BlueDrive Eco combines the experience from both systems BlueDrive PlusC and EcoProp. EcoProp is well known as a flexible, compact, high-power diesel-electric propulsion system for smaller vessels such as yachts, ferries, and public authority vessels. Like the complete BlueDrive family, BlueDrive Eco uses the Siemens Energy industrial converter platform components, providing very high reliability and availability. It enables scalable systems from 5 kW inverter power use and closes the power range (to BlueDrive PlusC up to 5.5 MW inverter power), all in the same topology.

The Siemens Energy Storage System (ESS): BlueVault

The advanced lithium-ion battery-based solution BlueVault for offshore installations and marine vessels is suited for both all-electric and hybrid energy-storage applications. BlueVault energy storage solutions are designed to help ensure continuity of power and to minimize carbon dioxide emissions.

The battery is designed to maximize life, performance, and safety. It is equipped with an integrated battery management system and overload/short circuit protection. The storage modules with 6.6 kWh Li-Ion batteries can be slid into a rack. The battery storage cubicle consists of 9 modules and 60 kWh. The cubicles can be easily lined up to the total required battery capacity.

Submarine drives need to be able to withstand the toughest demands. On long missions and under extreme conditions they must also be able to function perfectly to ensure maximum security for the boat and crew. They also demand low signatures, high efficiency, and easy-to-maintain, space-saving, and lightweight modules. With its strong focus on these demands, our DC-Prop for submarines are a favorite option for some type of submarines.

With their uncompromising performance, absolutely reliable operation, and minimized noise signature and stray field development, Siemens Energy DC-Prop DC drives are perfectly suitable for operation in submarines. Additional benefits are their high energy efficiency and maintenance-friendly, space-saving construction using ultra-lightweight components.

Your advantages with DC Prop

DC drives offer maximum reliability and availability thanks to their separation into two independent motor sections
Robust impact- and shock-proof construction
Acoustic signature well under all required threshold levels
Shielding of all connections and internal cabling against stray fields
State-of-the-art efficiency over the entire motor speed range
Speed-controlled fans and cooling units matched to the machine’s requirements
Simple access to maintenance components

First name

Last name

Phone number

Company name

Country/region

Job role

Is your inquiry related to installed equipment?

Yes No

Industry (Select up to three)

Please let us know how we can help you

Marketing consent

SISHIP BlueDrive Eco supports hybrid and fully electric vessels by using a compact, DC based power system that can combine diesel generators, batteries, and alternative energy sources into one flexible propulsion architecture. Its modular design allows vessels to operate efficiently in diesel electric, hybrid, or zero emission modes while maintaining stable power distribution and high overall system efficiency.

Solutions and products for electric propulsion. Drives for the maritime industry

Electric propulsion / drives solutions at a glance

Drive LV

Drive MV

Permasyn

SGM

BlueDrive Family

DC Prop

Highly reliable low-voltage drives up to 5 MW

Powerful and economical to operate

State-of-the-art medium-voltage drives from 5 MW upward

High-performance and cost-effective operation

Highly efficient low-profile motors for submarines

Small, reliable, and difficult to trace

Energy-saving and environmentally friendly shaft generator with motor function

Making energy available where it is needed

Innovative diesel-electric propulsion systems

Variable speed-operated diesel engines and load shifting