SKF will supply China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL), one of China’s largest ship owners, with propulsion shaft components and application engineering services for its new-build fleet of offshore supply vessels. In total, 16 propulsion shafts on 8 vessels will be equipped with SKF components.

Ole Kristian Joedahl, Sales and Marketing Director, Industrial Market, says, “This is a significant win for our marine business in China, where our strategy is to work in closer collaboration with ship operators, expanding from our traditional customer base of original equipment manufacturers and ship yards.”

As a result of the successful integration of Blohm + Voss Industries, acquired in 2013, the Group is able to offer customers the components and services necessary for propulsion shaft lines. This is complemented by SKF’s expertise in application engineering, which helps ship operators select components that more accurately meet their performance needs.

SKF’s propulsion shaft components for COSL: couplings, bolts and bulkhead seals are being supplied from the Group’s factories in Sweden and Germany. SKF’s surface-treated chocks, which enable stable and correct mounting of critical rotating machinery in harsh operating conditions – in this case, the engine – are being manufactured in the Netherlands.