World’s largest wind assisted cruise ship will have Thordon propeller shaft bearings

Orient Express Corinthian— 3D rendering © Martin Darzacq [Courtesy Accor]

Thordon Bearings has secured an order to supply its COMPAC seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings for installation on the two large wind assisted cruise ships that Frances Chantiers de l’Atlantique is building for hospitality giant Accor S.A., which will operate them under its iconic Orient Express branding.

Orient Express Corinthian (which, when we first reported on the story, was to be named Orient Express Silenseas) the first in a series of two 130 passenger/170 crew capacity ships, is scheduled for delivery in March 2026, followed by her yet-to-be-named sister in September 2027. Accor has options on a further two ships.

The 220-meter vessels will each feature three of the SolidSail rigid sails developed specifically for large vessels by Chantiers de l’Atlantique. While the 1,500 square meter SolidSails will contribute significantly to propulsion, primary propulsive power for the wind assisted cruise ships will be through a conventional seawater-lubricated propeller shaft driven by an LNG-fueled prime mover. Accor also plans to run the ship on green hydrogen once the fuel is approved for ocean-going passenger ships.

Thordon’s scope of supply to the twin screw vessel includes COMPAC seawater-lubricated bearings machined to fit 370 mm diameter propeller shafts.

“For these environmentally focused vessels, an oil-lubricated propeller shaft bearing system was out of the question, and although Chantiers de l’Atlantique has experience with our COMPAC seawater-lubricated bearing system across its naval vessel newbuildings, we still had to go through a lengthy and complex tendering process,” said Neil McDonald, Thordon’s regional manager, Northern Europe & Africa. “I believe we won over competing water-lubricated bearing suppliers due to our patience, reputation and, ultimately, a much better performing product. Thordon’s COMPAC will contribute significantly to reducing the vessels’ environmental impact and maintenance costs.”

By taking the legendary Orient Express brand to sea, the wind assisted cruise ship Orient Express Corinthian – Accor’s entry into the luxury cruise market – is firmly rooted in the famous train’s history, but it also invokes the golden age of cruise travel and n the famous Chantiers de l’Atlantique-built liner SS Normandie.

“The Orient Express Corinthian firmly nods to both the legendary liner of the 1930s and that cosmopolitan icon of train travel, but modern, more environmentally sustainable technology is at the heart of this ultra-modern ship,” said Benoît d’Alançon, director general of Wenex Equipment, Thordon Bearings’ authorized distributor in France. ”COMPAC strengthens Accor’s vision of what a zero-pollution passenger ship looks like.”

Built to Bureau Veritas class and carrying its MON-SHAFT notation, Thordon’s open seawater-lubricated COMPAC polymer bearing is designed to promote early formation of a hydrodynamic film between the shaft and bearing. As the viscous friction acting on the rotating shaft is lower with seawater than with oil, research has shown that in addition to reduced OPEX, operators also benefit from lower fuel consumption and subsequent emissions. Another benefit is that COMPAC negates the need for a damage-prone aft seal.

Commenting on Accor’s decision to adopt wind-assisted propulsion technology, Gavin Allwright, Secretary of the International Wind Ship Association (IWSA), said: “There can be no clearer sign that the passenger ship sector has accepted wind propulsion as the best way of reducing carbon emissions than Orient Express Corinthian, which is set to be the world’s largest primary wind passenger ship. We are delighted that Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Thordon Bearings – both of which are IWSA members – have been instrumental in ensuring Accor’s first luxury passenger ships operate environmentally above and below the waterline.”

Wenex is set to deliver the Thordon scope for the first wind assisted cruise ship ship in March 2025