Engineering award for Azipod D

ABB, the Swiss power and automation technology group, has won a European Marine Engineering Award, acknowledging the innovation behind the new Azipod D electric propulsion solution, launched in 2015. -

The prestigious 2016 Award for Auxiliary Machinery category honours auxiliary systems that demonstrate innovative and original development that improves a ship’s operational efficiency or reduces risk to personnel.

Introduced in 2015, Azipod D propulsion was brought to market to allow a wider range of vessel types to benefit from the proven reliability and flexibility that have made Azipod the leading propulsion system across numerous ship types.

“This award follows on from the remarkable uptake by the market of Azipod D propulsion since its launch in the first quarter of 2015,” says Juha Koskela, Managing Director of ABB’s Marine and Ports business. “The Azipod D requires up to 25 percent less installed power than comparable units, partly due its completely new hybrid cooling which increases the performance of the electric motor by up to 45 percent.”

Available in power ranges from 1.6 megawatts to 7 megawatts (MW) per unit, ABB’s Azipod D propulsion units give designers and ship builders greater flexibility to accommodate a wide variety of hull forms and propeller sizes, as well as simplicity of installation. The market has already responded to the benefits of the new Azipod D, orders for various ship types have gone into the order books since it was launched.

ABB has so far received orders for 12 Azipod D units for 5 vessels.

According to ABB, its gearless Azipod propulsion system is already the preferred choice of cruise vessels, icebreakers, ice-going cargo vessels and offshore accommodation ships. With the Azipod D, shipping segments such as offshore drilling, construction and support vessels and ferries have even more choices to benefit from the higher flexibility, reliability and energy efficiency provided by Azipod propulsion technology.

It has also been recently announced that ABB’s Azipod D will power the luxurious 10-deck discovery cruiser Scenic Eclipse. Built to Polar Class 6 the vessel will have the ability to navigate the summer waters of Polar Regions. The ship’s two 3 MW Azipod units will allow it to reach destinations previously off limits for large passenger vessels, taking advantage of the propulsion system’s track record of operating safely in every corner of the planet.

Juha Koskela, Managing Director of ABB’s Marine and Ports business, said, “Scenic Eclipse maintains the strong tradition of Azipod propulsion powering some of the world’s most innovative ships. With our unrivalled pedigree in the passenger and icebreaking segments, we are able to meet the owner’s demands for a flexible and efficient propulsion system which can operate safely in all sea conditions.”