ABB’s Azipod for superyacht Tuhura

ABB’s Azipod propulsion will power Oceanco’s visionary superyacht inspired by Polynesian canoes and outfitted with the latest technology. Perfectly suited to the canoe form, ABB’s contra-rotating Azipod technology achieves a 10 percent propulsion efficiency improvement. The ABB technology has become the industry standard in the cruise segment since its launch in 1990.

Tuhura made waves on its launch by Dutch superyacht builder Oceanco at last month’s Dubai International Boat Show 2018. Oceanco’s visionary vessel has been conceived in collaboration with the Lobanov Design Studio, naval architect BMT Nigel Gee and interior designer Achille Salvagni.

The radical new offering is for a 115m yacht bristling with the latest technology but inspired by canoes and dugouts familiar at the dawn of civilization. Its profile evokes the outrigger canoes the Polynesians drove thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean in their legendary voyages of discovery, but the ‘primal form’ is nonetheless envisaged as being propelled by leading edge technology from ABB. 

Translated literally, the Maori verb Tuhura means “to discover, bring to light, unearth, open up, explore, and investigate”, and this is certainly a design for owners imaginative enough to see beyond the boundaries of convention. Contra-rotating Azipod® propulsion has been selected to match what Oceanco describes as the “naturally efficient seakeeping ability with good maneuverability” hull form from BMT Nigel Gee.

Hybrid contra-rotating propulsion includes two propellers on the center line rotating in opposite directions. This arrangement takes advantage of the rotative energy left in the slipstream of the forward propeller, which in the CRP Azipod solution results in an improvement of some 10% in hydrodynamic propulsion efficiency.