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Dutch thruster manufacturer Veth Propulsion has produced what it claims is the most compact thruster ever, incorporating several design innovations to cut height dramatically and offer significant space savings. The company has slashed the height of its 500kW Veth Integrated L-drive thruster by 80% compared to traditional thrusters of the same power, from 2.4m to 0.4m. The space has been saved due to some novel 
design features in the mounting, alignment of headsets and control box, as well as the installation of a patent-pending permanent magnet motor design built by electric drive specialists Visedo. The use of permanent magnet rather than asynchronous electric motors also means that they will be more efficient, particularly at lower loads. Owner Erik Veth told The Motorship that the company would initially build the new thrusters in the size range 300-500kW, before looking at sizes up to 1,350kW next year. Eventually the new design could be used in sizes of 2.3MW (Veth’s biggest thruster to date) and beyond. The thruster is available with nozzle or counter rotating propellers. A patented, asymmetrical ‘shark tail’ used for the counter rotating propellers has been optimised in cooperation with propeller specialist Promarin. Combined with flow caps fixed around the thruster fairing plates, the shark tail minimises resistance The 500kW version will have its debut installation on a fish delousing vessel being built by Damen for Norwegian operator Remoy Management, for delivery next year. Another set of the compact thrusters will be installed on a newbuild megayacht, Veth reported.
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