Op-Ed: Can thrusters be designed for purpose and value?

Juho Rekola, director, sales & project management, Steerprop.

by Juho Rekola, director, sales & project management, Steerprop.

Thrusters tailored for your vessel need not cost more than cookie-cutter solutions and will inevitably reduce total lifecycle costs.

In many industries, standardization has become a byword for efficiency. Containerization is the classic example in shipping, with a global logistics network now built around an identically shaped box. But there remain some areas where standardization can have consequences ranging from costly to catastrophic. Ship propulsion is one such area.

Even when ships are identical, their missions are often not. This applies as much to tugboats as to the powerful, self-reliant icebreakers where Steerprop made its name. Yet often vessels of the same type will be fitted with standard, off-the-shelf propulsion. For many of the ship’s possible operating profiles, that standard solution will be sub-optimal. The result? A lifetime of frustrating underperformance, excessive maintenance and expensive fuel bills.

The urge to standardize is entirely rational. Think of a tailored solution, and you no doubt think “expensive,” possibly “slow.” That made-to-measure suit or customized kitchen counter can’t compete with the value and convenience of running to a shop at the last minute. But propulsion designed for purpose need not be more expensive, or slow to implement, than a “ready to wear” solution – and will pay for itself across the working life of a vessel.

Over the past 25 years, Steerprop has earned a reputation for propulsion that is both efficient and ]unbeatably reliable. In our earliest icebreaker applications, it’s not uncommon to see thrusters that don’t need overhaul after 100,000 hours of operation. That reliability, and the significant reduction in lifecycle costs that it delivers, comes from our design ethos. We don’t build thrusters to be sold into the widest possible range of vessels. Instead, each unit can be tailored to the exact hull form, power requirements and operating profile of the vessel it will serve.

One customer recently asked what size increments our propellers are available in. The answer is simple – we don’t do increments. Rather than slot your propulsion needs into an existing size, we make sure we know exactly what the vessel’s mission demands. If that sounds expensive, you may be surprised. Because we’ve been geared up to do this for decades, we can identify requirements then design and develop the right solution quickly and cost-effectively.

In recent years, we’ve transitioned from a maker of high-end main azimuth thrusters to delivering complete propulsion packages, including tunnel thrusters and retractable thrusters, offering a competitive all-in-one solution for shipyards and operators of a range of vessels—from tugboats to cruise ships. Tunnel thrusters and retractables in particular are often plagued by reliability issues. Our purpose-first approach ensures that Steerprop solutions are exactly that, solutions, not problems for their owners.

We put the same level of care into our control systems and service offer, with a customer-centric approach focused on our main goal: to deliver thrusters that perform reliably and to expectations across their lifecycle.

So Steerprop’s message to operators is clear: don’t get sucked into the standardized propulsion trap. The promise of lower initial outlay could entail much higher fuel and maintenance costs down the line – potentially without actually saving on capex compared to a built-for-purpose propulsion arrangement. Containers may be the icon of shipping efficiency, but for best-in-class propulsion with the lowest possible lifecycle costs, it’s time to think outside the box.