Azipod notches up 25 years in service

2016-06-01

Azipod notches up 25 years in service

ABB will have plenty to celebrate on its Stand 2.211 at this year’s Posidonia.

The company is marking 25 years in service for its Azipod propulsion units, which will soon rack up 12m hours of operating time with a remarkable availability of 99.8%.

The company points out that this electrical propulsion system – where the electric motor with propeller is mounted inside a streamlined azimuthing pod beneath the ship – can drive and steer the ship at the same time, reducing fuel consumption by 20%.

With applications across a wide range of vessels from icebreakers to the world’s largest cruiseship, the entire installed Azipod fleet has saved over 700,00 tons of fuel (and the resulting emissions) to date, roughly equivalent to the annual fuel consumption of 700,000 cars, it said.

Additionally, ABB notes that the number of vessels with electric propulsion is growing at a pace of 12% per year, according to Clarksons Research, some three times faster than the world’s fleet.

“Much has changed in the shipping sector since we introduced the first Azipod,” comments Juha Koskela, md of ABB’s Marine and Ports business, “but the desire for efficiency, maneuverability and reliability remains the same. The fact that Azipod propulsion remains the dominant force in podded electric propulsion shows our commitment to meet our customer’s needs.”

Source from : Seatrade Global

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