Thordon Bearings and Wärtsilä have announced the formation of the Blue Ocean Alliance to develop and promote the revolutionary sterntube-less ship concept.
The concept of a ship design that does not require a sterntube and eliminates the need for oil-lubricated sterntube seals and bearings. The Blue Ocean Alliance brings together multiple maritime industry expertise, with seawater-lubricated bearings pioneer Thordon Bearings, systems integrator Wärtsilä, the School of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), naval architect SDARI (Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute CSSC) and classification society, ABS, who championed the initiative in 2019.
The Blue Ocean Alliance brings together a formidable partnership to develop and further promote the concept. The fact that several ship owners have already shown interest in this solution is extremely encouraging.
… said Anna Galoni, CEO, Thordon Bearings
According to Thordon Bearings, the design is also likely to save ship owners hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital and operational expenditure over a vessel’s lifespan, including zero requirement for lubricating oil or biodegradable lubricants.
The Blue Ocean Alliance and the sterntube-less ship design promise to revolutionize the way that ships are built and operated, delivering cost savings and efficiency improvements.
… supplied Rob Burford, Vice President of Shaft Line Solutions at Wärtsilä
ABS has estimated that in a sterntube-less ship design, a two-week dry-dock re-alignment or bearing and seal replacement job, can instead be completed in a single day while the vessel is afloat.
Ship designer SDARI, in partnership with Thordon and NTUA, has already been granted an Approval in Principle (AIP) from ABS for the concept design of the sterntube-less vessel with Thordon’s COMPAC Split Seawater-Lubricated Aft Bearing. ABS is further developing a pertinent Guide and Notation for such a ship.
