Schottel to develop superyacht rim-thrusters

The German propulsion experts Schottel have announced that they have turned their in-house engineering skills to developing a rim-drive thruster for superyachts.

Dr. Gerhard Jensen, CEO of Schottel made the announcement of the Schottel SRT at a press event which also focused on the firm’s developments in the offshore, tug, tidal energy and shore-based gearbox and transmission markets. The SRT technology is an electric propulsion system without a gearbox or driveshaft that converts electric energy into propulsion with minimal noise—a feature that has made competing products popular with superyacht shipyards and owners.

“We are working on the technology now, and hope to have a product ready for the superyacht market in 2013,” Jensen said. Schottel acquired the rim-thruster technology from Van der Velden after the latter firm’s superyacht arm ceased operations last year following a cancelled order for multiple units. Engineering problems were cited as the cause at the time, and Jensen and his team were adamant that Schottel’s in-house engineering capabilities would ensure a successful, reliable development of the technology.



“We have acquired the technology and the lessons learned,” Jensen said. “We are undertaking detailed testing and design development to develop this product to a very high level.” Schottel is aiming to develop their rim-thruster range for the offshore DP market, meaning the thrusters will be built to operate for thousands of hours a year, rather than the hundreds of hours typically required for navigational assistance on superyachts.

Ultimately, Schottel plans to sell a range of rim-thrusters from 200kW to 800 kW. Van der Velden will sell the SRT thrusters under license from Schottel.

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