Wärtsilä announces the launch of new tilted retractable thruster
The technology group Wärtsilä announces the launch of the Wärtsilä WST-24R, the industry’s first tilted steerable thruster with combined electric retraction and steering, the company said in its press release.
Enabling excellent auxiliary manoeuvring in station keeping or dynamic positioning (DP) operations, the Wärtsilä WST-24R provides first class reliability, as well as easy installation, integration and maintenance.
One of the most notable features of the new thruster is the gearbox, which has an 8-degrees tilted propeller shaft configuration. This significantly reduces thruster / hull interactional losses, thereby producing up to 20 percent more effective thrust than conventional non-tilted thrusters and enabling lower fuel consumption. This extra effective thrust directly contributes to the advanced DP capability of a vessel.
Replacing the existing LMT 1510, the Wärtsilä WST-24R thruster offers more than 10 percent added unit thrust as a result of the reduced power density. This, combined with improved hydrodynamics and the dedicated Wärtsilä Thruster Nozzle design, reduces the environmental impact of the propulsion system. The Wärtsilä WST-24R can also be delivered to comply with clean notations and is optionally compatible with the US EPA’s VGP2013 stipulations. The overall result of this development has been to create benefits to the customer in both performance and efficiency.
The Wärtsilä WST-24R is also designed to achieve reliability with fewer components. All systems are easily accessible for maintenance, while the combined steering-retraction seals, designed to have no oil to water interface to reduce environmental risk, can be replaced from inboard. The steering is electric, rather than hydraulic, further enhancing the capabilities of the system, and the new retraction system is lightweight and safe with self-locking electric actuation.
The unit is particularly suited to applications in shuttle tankers and offshore support and construction vessels, providing them with safe and efficient operations.
The official launch will take place at the Marintec 2017 conference and exhibition to be held in Shanghai, China from December 5 to 8.
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in advanced technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2016, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.8 billion with approximately 18,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
