Kongsberg Maritime’s rim-drive azimuth thruster has achieved Silent-E notation from DNV, which it says is the first of its kind to receive this certification.
During a recent trial, the thruster was installed on Norwind Offshore's new Norwind Hurricane commissioning service operation vessel and its sister vessels, resulting in reduced underwater noise pollution.
Kongsberg Maritime develops propulsion solutions to address underwater noise concerns, including impacts to marine life and disruption to underwater habitats. The company says its rim-drive thruster offers "superior acoustic performance."
To assess the noise levels of the Norwind Hurricane vessel, an extensive underwater noise study was conducted using hydrophones placed on the seabed, and the results confirmed the effectiveness of the rim-drive thruster in reducing underwater noise.
“Rim-drive thrusters are inherently quieter than conventional thrusters due to their simpler design with fewer moving parts and excellent hydrodynamic characteristics," according to Leif Vartdal, hydrodynamics specialist at Kongsberg Maritime. “Hydrodynamically induced noise, primarily caused by tip vortex cavitation from propeller blade tips, is a major challenge in traditional thruster designs. Rim-drive thrusters eliminate this issue by using a ring propeller that lacks blade tips, thereby significantly reducing noise generation."
The comapny says the thrusters also offer energy savings and reduced maintenance costs due to the simplified propulsion system with fewer mechanical components.
Kongsberg Maritime is exhibiting this week at booth 7200 at ONS 2024 in Stavanger. View the ONS program to learn more about presentations by Kongsberg Digital, Kongsberg Discovery and Kongsberg Gruppen.
