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Azimuth thruster

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An Azimuth thruster is a configuration of ship propellers placed in pods that can be rotated in any horizontal direction. A conventional rudder is not needed. These give ships better maneuverability than a fixed propeller and rudder system. Primary advantages are electrical efficiency, better use of ship space, and lower maintenance costs. Ships with azimuth thrusters do not need tugs to dock, though they still require tugs to maneuver in difficult places. There are two major variants, based on the location of the motor:

Mechanical transmission, where a motor inside the ship is connected to the pod by gearing. The motor may be diesel or diesel-electric.
Electrical transmission, where an electric motor is in the pod itself, connected directly to the propeller without gears. The electricity is produced by an onboard engine, usually diesel or gas turbine. Invented in 1955 by Mr. F.W. Pleuger and Mr. Friedrich Busmann (Pleuger Unterwasserpumpen GmbH), ABB Azipod was the first product using this technology.

1 History
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

History

U.S. Patent 2,714,866 from 1955

The first azimuth thrusters, using the mechanical Z-drive transmission, were built by Hollming in Finland in the 1960s under the Aquamaster brand name.^[1] The business was later sold to Rolls-Royce, after the merger of Finnish shipyards into Finnyards. Later, subsidiaries of ABB, also based in Finland, developed the Azipod thruster, with the motor located in the pod itself. This kind of propulsion was first patented in 1955 by Pleuger of Germany.