BOATS & GEAR
THRUSTERS
POWER PODS: THRUSTERS
MAXIMIZE FUEL EFFICIENCY Azimuth thrusters are a different stroke for new boats, but offer remarkable fuel efficiency and maneuverability By Paul Molyneaux
he Washington-based seafood company Alaskan Leader Seafoods launched the 184-foot longliner Northern Leader in 2013, winning innovation awards for designer, Jensen Maritime. The Northern Leader was the fi rst diesel-electric fishing vessel launched, using four Caterpillar C32s, two C18s and a C9 to power two Schottel rudder propellers type SRP1012FP at 1,000 kW each. “They saved $500,000 in fuel the fi rst year. So their payback for going
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diesel electric was 4 to 5 years,” says Jonathan Parrott, senior naval architect at Jensen. Three years later, in 2016, another Northwest fishing company, Blue North, launched the 191-foot longliner Blue North. Designed by Norwegian naval architects and engineers, Skipteknisk, the Blue North is also powered by Cat gensets driving electric motors and Schottel Z-drive rudder propellers. The company reported impressive fuel savings, around 30 percent. Surprisingly few vessels
Schottel rudder propeller type SRP1012FP Spring 2022 \ National Fisherman 43
Schottel photos
Schottel just celebrated its 100th birthday. Located in Germany’s Rhine Valley, where the company began in 1921, Schottel continues to build its propellers to exacting standards.
