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L-3 Marine Systems International (L-3 MSI) has announced that it has been awarded a major contract to provide advanced automation, navigation, communications and electrical propulsion facilities for Samsø Færgen, a new 100-metre, double-ended passenger/car ferry built by Remontowa Shipbuilding at its Gdansk shipyard on behalf of Danish owner Samsø Municipality. Initially LNG-fuelled, Samsø Færgen is expected to become the world's first ferry to operate on locally supplied biogas.

Due to enter service in September 2014 on domestic routes between the renewable energy island of Samsø and Hou on the Danish mainland, the eight-deck DNV-class vessel will carry a maximum of 600 passengers and 160 cars.

"We are particularly proud to be actively associated with the ongoing development of this remarkable maritime innovation, which marks a huge stride in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and pollution from ships," said Reinhard Swoboda, senior vice president of drives and special systems at L-3 MSI’s SAM Electronics division. "The supply of our latest PWM technology underscores L-3's continuing contribution to providing cost-effective, efficient and eco-friendly propulsion technology."

The NACOS Platinum integrated navigation system to be supplied by L-3 MSI’s Lyngsø Marine division, comprises S- and X-band radars linked to a series of five Multipilot multifunction consoles and associated conning units for control of all main radar, ECDIS, automatic steering and voyage planning functions. Subsidiary sensors consist of AIS, VDR, DGPS, Doppler logs, echosounders, gyros, rudder steering and indicators, wind/weather navaids and BNWAS.

The ship's control system is completed by L-3's MCS Platinum automated monitoring and control system, with approximately 4,000 data inputs remote controlled from several onboard computer workstations, as well as emergency shutdown and DNV-approved LNG cargo control systems.

L-3 MSI’s SAM Electronics division is providing the ferry’s complete electrical propulsion system. The vessel will be equipped with four 850 kW azimuth thrusters, each driven by an asynchronous motor and a speed-controlled, low-voltage PWM converter featuring the latest active front-end (AFE) technology. The vessel’s power generation configuration will include the installation of two 690 V, 60 Hz propulsion switchboards, four gensets, including 1,275 kVA synchronous generators, and dual-fuel diesel/LNG engines.

Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, L-3 Marine Systems International (L-3 MSI) is a sector within L-3's Electronic Systems business segment. L-3 MSI is a turnkey supplier of complete electrical systems, as well as integrated navigation, automation, communications, energy distribution and propulsion systems for all types of ships and offshore wind farms.