Wärtsilä retractable thrusters have been selected for vessels worldwide, operating in the most demanding environments. Our customers are secure in the knowledge that each system from Wärtsilä conforms to the highest performance and reliability standards and are also supported by a worldwide network of service and support workshops. By the 8° tilted propeller gearbox the delivered thrust is more effective, contributing to decarbonisation of station keeping operation.
When selecting a dynamic positioning (DP) system Wärtsilä Retractable Thrusters are second to none. With a power ranging between 750 and 6500kW in both L-drive and Z-drive options, there is a solution to suit any operating profile and vessel - including wind turbine installation vessels, offshore support vessels, offshore construction vessels, shuttle tankers and heavy lift vessels.
The vertical retraction system minimizes the area footprint in the vessel and enables full retraction that reduces the vessel’s resistance and allows access to shallower waters and ports. The thrusters are controlled by the DP system or from the bridge stations by Wärtsilä ergonomic controls with intuitive touch screen displays providing intuitive management of the entire DP system.
WST-24R & WST-65RU
The WST-R (up-to WST-32R) are assembled and pre-aligned in Wärtsilä factory. The pre-alignment enables a smoother installation of the thruster, reducing the time needed by shipyards for installation.
As global demand for renewable energy increases, the Prysmian Group has selected Wärtsilä’s retractable thrusters for the worlds most advanced cable laying vessel yet – the Leonardo Da Vinci. The Leonardo Da Vinci is a DP3 vessel and will be able to handle cable laying operations to depths of up to 3,000 meters, in some of the worlds most extreme weather conditions.
The excellent efficiency and performance of Wärtsilä retractable thrusters is further enhanced by the capability to design and configure the optimal configuration and power requirements to fit the vessel actual operating profile and needs of the owner. This is achieved through the use of advanced calculations including hydrodynamics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and includes the ability to add system failures to ensure safe operation. The result of these calculations and analysis allow for an accurate view of the thruster position, combination of thruster type, and most importantly the power required to deliver the thrust to support vessel operations safely and efficiently – this detailed insight allows the correct total vessel power requirement to be calculated rather than estimated, which can reduce the cost of the total power train configuration.
Add to this the 8° tilted propeller shaft, available on the latest models and Wärtsilä is able to offer a retractable thruster with reduced thruster and hull interaction, making it the most efficient retractable thruster package in the market. The unique design means that customers can expect up to 20% more effective thrust than conventional non-tilted thrusters, depending on vessel configuration and application.
By bringing together these technologies and expertise in a single configurable solution approach, the optimal solution can be agreed, which when combined with Wartsila’s thruster performance results in reduced overall weight and increased performance. This ensures that owners, operators and yards benefit from significant savings and efficiencies not before possible.
750 - 1600 kW
The Wärtsilä Retractable Thrusters up to 1600 kW are suitable as auxiliary propulsion units for offshore supply vessels (OSV), offshore construction vessels (OCV) and similar vessels. The thrusters are based on a modular and flexible design which enables optimum integration in the vessel. Although retractable thrusters are primarily used for DP, they can also be used for main propulsion if correctly selected and sized.
Key Benefits:
1500 – 4500 kW
The Wärtsilä WST-R is a powerful retractable thruster designed to provide auxiliary manoeuvring capability in dynamic positioning or station keeping operations. The power levels, small footprint and light weight makes it the ideal choice for shuttle tankers, Jack-Up Vessels and many offshore support and construction vessel types.
The excellent hydrodynamic efficiency and performance of the Wärtsilä steerable thrusters is enhanced by the 8° tilted propeller shaft, which provides customers with a retractable thruster that has the lowest thruster and hull interaction, making it the most efficient retractable thruster package in the market. The unique design means that customers can expect up to 20% more efficient thrust than conventional non-tilted thrusters, depending on vessel configuration and application.
Key Benefits:
6500kW
The Wärtsilä Retractable Underwater Mountable Thruster (WST-65RU) has been designed to meet the needs of large offshore construction vessels (OCVs) as well as semi-submersible rigs and drill ships.
With its power output up to 6500kW it is typically designed for vessels that require thrusters that can be retracted during transit or while entering shallow waters, to increase the level of operational flexibility. Additionally, the WST-65RU thruster can be mounted or de-mounted while the vessel is afloat, to facilitate thruster maintenance and overhaul during the operational lifecycle meaning there is no requirement for drydocking. The WST-65RU is the first retractable thruster in the market to feature the unique combination of retractable and underwater mountable functionality.
The WST-65RU is based on the WST-65U underwater mountable thruster which has been designed with performance and reliability as key requirements. The 8° tilted propeller shaft solution is a feature which is also found on Wärtsilä Underwater Mountable thrusters and reduces the interaction between the thrusters and hull significantly, thereby enhancing the dynamic positioning performance of the vessel. The outboard part of WST-65RU is exchangeable with WST-65U, optimizing maintenance and spare part strategies.
In combination with Wärtsilä’s PCMS (Propulsion Condition Monitoring Service) downtime and maintenance costs can be minimized.
Key Benefits:
Technical info
| Type | Power (max.) [kW] | Input speed [rpm] | Propeller diameter (A) [mm] | Depth (B) [mm] | Width (C) [mm] | Retraction (F) [mm] | Layout | Height without E-motor (H1) [mm] | Overall height1 (H2)[mm] | Weight height2 [kg] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS175/MNR | 1000 | 1200 1500 | 1700 | 2836 | 2900 | 2220 | L-drive Z-drive | 6120 - | 8100 5900 | 21000 24000 |
| FS200/MNR | 1200 | 1000 1500 | 1900 | 3000 | 3050 | 2400 | L-drive Z-drive | 7490 - | 8600 6800 | 25000 29000 |
| FS225/MNR | 1600 | 900 1200 | 2100 | 3435 | 3590 | 2655 | L-drive Z-drive | 7280 - | 9500 7700 | 35000 41000 |
| WST-18R | 2000 | 1000 1600 | 2400 | 3500 | 3910 | 3215 | L-drive Z-drive | 8510 - | 10700 9270 | 39000 43000 |
| WST-24R | 2400 | 900 / 720 1200 | 2600 / 2800 | 4090 | 4410 | 3580 | L-drive Z-drive | 9207 - | 12000 9931 | 49000 56000 |
| WST-32R | 3100 | 900 | 2800 | 4090 | 4410 | 3580 | L-drive | 9567 | 12400 | 53000 |
| WST-32R | 3500 | 720 / 600 1200 | 3100 / 3300 | 4450 | 4900 | 4235 | L-drive Z-drive | 10536 - | 13600 11482 | 70000 78000 |
| WST-45R | 4500 | 600 900 | 3600 | 5700 | 5200 | 4635 | L-drive Z-drive | 15045 - | 17415 14722 | 118000 123000 |
| WST-55RU3 | 5500 | 600 | 3900 | 5300 | 5780 | 5805 | L-drive | 16770 | 20300 | 146000 |
| WST-65RU3 | 6500 | 600 | 4200 | 5300 | 5780 | 5805 | L-drive | 16770 | 20300 | 160000 |
