Triple-E vessels have no aft thrusters
Maersk Line's new Triple-E container ships have two propellers and two rudders, and therefore they are not equipped with the aft thrusters that may have caused the flooding that three weeks ago struck Emma Maersk.
"As Triple E have two propellers and two rudders, they do not need aft thrusters. Instead one of the propellers is reversed and by means of the two rudders and bow thrusters it is, in practice, possible to sail sideways", says Palle Laursen, operations manager for Maerks Line, to Ingenøren.dk.
There is obviously a risk that a similar error may occur in the vessel’s bow thrusters. But the consequence will be subject to less when the bow thrusterne are closed off compared to other areas of the ship and therefore wouldn’t flood any large areas.
Palle Laursen says that Maersk still aren’t certain as to what went wrong on Emma Maersk.
"We can, based on the film recorded, yet say nothing about what the cause of the leak was. The water had a visibility of about 30 centimeters, but we believe we can rule out that the damage was caused by a foreign body that entered the thruster tunnel”, says Palle Laursen.
Until the cause of the leak is known, Maersk Line has stopped all use of aft thrusters on other ships in the Emma Maersk series.
Source: Ingenøren
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