Deck Mounted Azimuth Thrusters

In collaboration with ZF Marine Krimpen B.V., producer of 360° controllable Thruster systems, Alara-Lukagro has developed a new “Deck Mounted Thruster” concept for the ZF DM 3000 series.

The Deck Mounted Thrusters can be placed on the deck of a ship. This means that an engine room in the hull is not necessary. These Thrusters are used on crane pontoons, work ships, dredgers, pushers and ferries.

Production Deck Mounted Thruster

The production of the enclosure, base frame, thruster frame and table construction, including coating, takes place in the production facility of Alara-Lukagro in Groot-Ammers.

The parts are then delivered to ZF Marine where they are fully assembled with the ZF Marine Krimpen B.V. 360 ° steerable Thruster produced in Krimpen aan de Lek. The Deck Mounted Thruster consists of a complete drivetrain, motor, clutch, radiator, depth-adjustable tail section including propeller and the hydraulic and electrical control of the thruster.

Collaboration

The strategic partnership between ZF Marine Krimpen B.V. and Alara-Lukagro started in 2018 with an extensive engineering project in which Alara-Lukagro elaborated various acoustic and ventilation technical designs of the Deck Mounted Thruster 3000 series. Use was made of the in-house software and engineering tools that Alara-Lukagro has at its disposal. The (3D) designs and calculations worked out in detail are presented to ZF Marine Krimpen B.V. Subsequently, various modular options were developed that can be applied or added depending on the situation and wishes of the end customer.

In addition to ZF Marine and Alara-Lukagro, various other companies are also very closely involved in the development of the deck units. Alara-Lukagro would like to thank all those involved for the very nice cooperation during development and is very satisfied with the new product that has been created.

Currently, the parties are working hard to bring the delivery to a successful conclusion and the engineering for the realization of a new series has already started.

Acoustic enclosure

The acoustic enclosure, whether or not equipped with sound-insulating materials, have hatches on both long sides that can be easily removed for maintenance on the engine. The hatches are also equipped with ventilation louvres that ensure sufficient cooling of the engine.

An important point of attention in the development of the Deck Mounted Azimuth Thruster is the space-saving design. The unit is therefore produced in such a way that it takes up the minimum possible floor space.