Cruise Ship Propulsion

The electric propulsion system used on merchant ships is categorized into twotypes depending upon type of prime mover attached to it.

Cruise ship propulsion. Starting on a high note. Currently most ships are driven by a screw propeller which is illustrated in Fig. Elation is fitted with two 14MW Azipod propulsion units.

The larger the cruise ship the greater the demand for electrical power. Several ships have a combination of azimuthing pods and pods that do not turn sometimes called fixipods that are used to provide forward and backwards propulsion. The Azipod propulsion system was developed by Kvaerner Masa-Yards and ABB Marine.

Marine propulsion is the way ships generate power to move through the water. Some larger ships rely on two different power sources. Azipod turns in all directions 360 degrees by a rudder providing thrust in any directions not possible for conventional systems.

Side thrusters use is eliminated as pods can be used to provide side thrust. The most basic forms of propulsion are sails or with a paddle. Ships have undergone tremendous change over the years.

Modern cruise ships use either gas turbine or diesel electric engines as their power source for propulsion as well as for the ships systems. Even though the Azipod was initially developed for icebreaking vessels cruise ships have become the largest group of ships by type to be fitted with Azipod propulsion system since the 1990s and the success of the electric podded propulsion units has paved the way for competitors such as the Rolls-Royce Mermaid. In case the ships have large breadth two or more azipod systems independent from one another can be used to provide subtle maneuvering.

Displace-ment is thus equal to the total weight all told of the relevant loaded ship nor-. The Rolls-Royce plant in Kristinehamn Sweden has about 400 employees and provides marine propulsion solutions. Azimuthing propulsion devices used for propulsion of large cruise ships are at present known under patented name AZIPODs where the electric propulsion motor is contained in a rotatable housing or nacelle submerged under water.