Evolving Fishing Operations: The Benefits of Brunvolls Retractable Azimuth Combi Thruster

Brunvolls retractable azimuth thruster was developed in the 1970s at the request of the Norwegian navy and was quickly adopted by the offshore industry. In the last decade, the fishing fleet in the northern part of Europe has increased their focus on efficiency, emission reduction, and HSE for the fishermen. This has led them to use the retractable azimuth thruster from Brunvoll. There are already 25 fishing vessels with a retractable azimuth combi thruster from Brunvoll in operation and under construction, and we have several others in order.

The operational profile for a fishing vessel varies a lot, but much of the time is used in manoeuvring operations. Searching, seining, trawling, and hauling are just some of the different modes, and these modes can cover up to 80% of the operational profile for a fishing vessel. It is in these modes that the retractable azimuth thruster comes in handy.

The retractable thruster gives the ability to apply thrust in the direction in which it is needed compared to a conventional tunnel thruster. It also reduces the needed rudder input and the load on the main propulsor. These elements contribute to significantly lower the fuel consumption and emissions. This is good for the shipowner and good for the environment.

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Skippers also experience that the fishery becomes more efficient, and they can even operate during harsher weather conditions. The vessel becomes easier to manoeuvre, and the vessel can withstand even higher environmental forces and still stay on course when deploying and retrieving the fishing gear.

Safety and redundancy have also been one of the traits for choosing a retractable azimuth thruster. Brunvoll has received reports from shipowners that the retractable thruster has been used to bringing the crew, vessel, and catch safely back to port when the main propulsion has failed.

The retractable azimuth combi thruster is suitable for a wide range of fisheries. Longline, danish seiner, net, trawl, purse seine, trap, and pots are the fishing equipment where the thruster has proven handy today, but it could also be beneficial in other fisheries. Are you interested to learn more about how the retractable azimuth combi thruster could help your fishery, please contact our sales department.

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"We had a talk over the phone with Kjell-Gunnar Hoddevik, owner of the longline and danish seiner vessel, MS "Atlantic", when they were out fishing outside of Hammerfest last week. Kjell-Gunnar expressed that the retractable azimuth combi thruster has proven to be a great tool after three years in operation. Kjell-Gunnar highlights the course stability during longline hauling and danish seining as some of the best features of the thruster. It requires much less input from the skipper compared to conventional solutions and contributes to making the fishery more efficient."

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