Azipod D named Innovation of the Year

ABB has been awarded the Innovation of the Year Award for its Azipod D electric propulsion product at the Electric & Hybrid Marine World Expo in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

JUNE 26, 2015 — The Innovation of the Year Award identifies pioneering technologies that push the boundaries and contribute to making electric and hybrid propulsion possible and viable. The winner was selected by an international jury consisting of 38 maritime journalists, industry experts and academics.

ABB introduced the Azipod D in March 2015 (see earlier story). ABB's gearless Azipod propulsion system is already in wide use in 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 will have more options to take advantage of Azipod propulsion technology.

"We are delighted that our contribution to the further expansion of electric propulsion is recognized as Innovation of the Year," says Heikki Soljama, Managing Director for ABB's marine and ports business. "The flexibility that electric propulsion provides is key to future success in shipping, and therefore it is easy to understand why electric propulsion is growing many times faster than the world's fleet

"Azipod D allows 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, such as cruise vessels and icebreakers."

Azipod D covers propulsion power ranges from 1.6 MW to 7 MW per unit and provides designers and shipbuilders with increased design flexibility in order to accommodate a wide range of hull shapes and propeller sizes, as well as simplicity of installation of the propulsion units. The Azipod D requires up to 25 percent less installed power, which is partly due to a new hybrid cooling that increases the performance of the electric motor by up to 45 percent.

ABB was also named Propulsion Manufacturer of the Year for the second consecutive year.