Caterpillar Marine is pleased to announce Cat® power and propulsion solutions have been selected to power four AHTS vessels for Grupo CBO, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Each AHTS vessel will be equipped with 4 x 6 M 32 C propulsion engines rated at 3000 bkW and Cat Propulsion controllable pitch propellers. Additionally, Cat will again power the third PSV in a series for Grupo CBO with 4 x 3512C diesel electric propulsion (DEP) generator sets rated at 1700 ekW as well as 1x C18 for harbor/emergency power. The 180 ton bollard pull AHTS vessels will be designed by Hayvard Design and Solutions, using an adapted version of its 843 design.

Cat dealer Sotreq led the Caterpillar efforts on the landmark project for the Brazilian market and will continue to manage the delivery and subsequent service of the Cat solutions. “Sotreq has the capacity to provide comprehensive packaging for marine offshore customers in an expedited timeline and this has proved to be a differentiating factor for our customers in the Brazilian offshore market,” noted Rodrigo Feria, Sotreq marine sales manager. “This project marks the entrance of Cat Propulsion into the Brazilian marine sector and we are pleased to be able to offer integrated solutions for our local customers.”

Cat BCP controllable-pitch main propellers have been specifically designed and developed for heavy-duty applications with the pitch setting hydraulic servo cylinder in the hub. The hub lubrication system is a unique oil circulating system with an integrated moisture monitoring system. This is the first hub system in the shipbuilding industry where the moisture content is constantly checked, making it possible to protect the entire propeller system as well as the environment.

With a distinguished seventy year history operating in Brazil, Sotreq is the largest Cat dealer in the Brazilian market. Developing solutions for customer specific needs, including parts, services and tailor-made customer service agreements through 12 dedicated branches, Sotreq is an offshore market leader and has supplied equipment for over fifty offshore vessels in the last 5 years.