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There is still a demand to make azimuth thrusters more effective and more comfortable in terms of reducing noise, especially on cruise vessels. But due to the problems in the offshore industry, this market looses its importance. HANSA shows what kind of products are available

Within the last twelve months only a few manufacturers made major changes in their portfolios, except Schottel that has completely[ds_preview] revised the names of their pro­ducts. Since September 2016, a new, clear nomenclature has replaced the recent product designation system which has grown along with the company. The new system is designed to give customers a simp­ler orientation.

Rolls-Royce recently has reached an important milestone in its azimuth business: The numbers 1,000 and 1,001 of Rolls-Royce’s US 255 FP azimuth thrusters, each with a power of 2,525 kW, will be installed to a new Damen ASD2913 tug.

Other users of azimuth thrusters are providers of offshore vessels. One reason why there where no major changes in the portfolio of many makers could be the current situation in the offshore market. The decrease in new vessel orders is why the demand of azimuth thrusters for the offshore segment has declined.

But experts still think there is room for developments in the future, mainly in terms of efficiency. Another focus especially for cruise vessels is to make the systems quieter and more comfortable for the passenger ship segment.