New Azipod Thruster Launched by ABB
ABB unveils newest Azipod thruster to growing electric propulsion market
Power and automation technology group ABB has introduced Azipod D, a new addition to its line of Azipod electric propulsion offering, allowing a wider range of vessel types to utilize the Azipod propulsion system.
ABB’s gearless Azipod propulsion system is already used on cruise vessels, icebreakers, ice-going cargo vessels and offshore accommodation ships. With the Azipod D, shipping segments such as offshore drilling, construction and support vessels and ferries will have even more choices to make use of Azipod propulsion technology, ABB said.
“We’re excited to expand the Azipod propulsion family and make the benefits of electric propulsion available to a wider range of ships. Shipowners and operators demand solutions that are reliable and improve their competitiveness in a volatile market – the Azipod D is our answer to these demands,” said Peter Terwiesch, President of ABB’s Process Automation division.
According to ABB, the electric propulsion behind its Azipod units enables ship owners and operators to earn higher vessel profitability by lowering maintenance costs and cutting fuel consumption. Benefits of the Azipod D propulsion system also include superior maneuverability, competitive investment cost, ease of service and maintenance and a significant performance increase compared to mechanical thrusters, ABB added.
This new Azipod thruster family member provides designers and ship builders with increased design flexibility in order to accommodate a wide range of hull shapes and propeller sizes, as well as simplicity of installation of the propulsion units. The Azipod D requires up to 25 percent less installed power. This is partly due to the fact that the new hybrid cooling increases the performance of the electric motor by up to 45 percent.
ABB’s Azipod D propulsion power ranges from 1.6 megawatts to 7 megawatts (MW) per unit.
The characteristics of Azipod propulsion make it particularly appealing to the offshore shipping segments where most vessels operate in dynamic positioning mode and require highest reliability, ABB noted.
According to shipbroker and research firm Clarkson’s Research, the number of vessels with electric propulsion has been growing at a pace of 12 percent per year over the last decade, three times faster than the world’s fleet.