Page 48: of Marine News Magazine (July 2020)

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All images: Voith

A Unique Control of Thrust and a

Glimpse of Future of Autonomous

Operations

By Dr. Dirk Jürgens, Vice President

Research and Development, Voith Turbo

Marine and Ivo Beu, Director of Sales,

Marine Americas, Voith Turbo ust like there is a drive for autonomous long-haul trucks in overland shipping, there is also a growing push for autonomous marine shipping. One of the challenges for

J shipping is the lack of precision control in the face of an ever-shifting body of water. For land-based transportation, roads offer a reliable surface that is easy gauged during the design process. For shipping, the most challenging aspect is the chaos created by waves, wind and currents, and that calls for a propeller that offers precision maneuverability and a speedy response to control commands while providing the power expected. All these needs are met by the Voith Schnei- der Propeller (VSP).

What is the VSP?

The VSP is a cycloidal propulsion drive that combines propulsion and steering in one vertically oriented unit. This unique vessel propulsion solution was developed more than 90 years ago by Austrian engineer Ernst Schneider. With the

VSP, magnitude and direction of thrust can be set steplessly and as necessary.

July 2020 48 MN