Hamburg-based L-3 SAM Electronics has secured a contract to retrofit propulsion control and automation systems aboard the Taiwanese Navy’s Ta Kuan hydrographic and oceanographic research vessel.
The retrofit package will enhance the drive redundancy and reliability of the existing motors, as well as a high-performance control unit to handle complex monitoring and control tasks.
L-3 SAM Electronics is expected to complete the retrofit later this year.
L-3 SAM Electronics drives and special systems senior vice-president Reinhard Swoboda said: "Ta Kuan is one of our earlier projects, having already been equipped with our propulsion system, and we are very proud to continue our support of this platform for this major upgrade effort.
"More than 100 successful installations worldwide confirm our role as a reliable partner for diesel-electric propulsion systems."
The research will also receive L-3’s Geapas 500 power management system, which offers management and protection functions for generator and diesel engines with a common LCD panel for monitoring and control.
The programme will be completed by L-3 SAM’s MCS Platinum automated monitoring and control system, with the support of around 1,100 data inputs remotely controlled from several onboard computer workstations.
Built by Fincantieri, this 93m-long vessel currently undertakes operations in domestic waters, as well as the South China Sea on behalf of Taiwan’s Governmental National Science Council and other research institutes.
Earlier this year, German-Danish ferry company Scandlines awarded a contract to L-3 SAM Electronics and its Danish subsidiary L-3 Lyngsø Marine to retrofit navigation facilities aboard four double-ended passenger and freight ferries.
Image: Taiwanese Navy’s Ta Kuan hydrographic and oceanographic research vessel. Photo: courtesy of L-3com.com L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.
