A new range of azimuth thrusters from Caterpillar offers space and installation savings by integrating auxiliaries, including the hydraulic power pack, within the thruster unit.

The MTA v3 range, with power outputs ranging from 1,500kW to 2,525kW, compares favourably to the preceding MTA v2 range in terms of weight (cut by 20%), oil volume (down 27%), power density (up 25%) and bollard pull (increased by 3%). The normal auxiliaries for azimuth thrusters including hydraulic power pack, gravity tank, filters, cooler and clutch hydraulics have all been integrated to reduce overall space consumption and installation time.

“The addition of the new MTA v3 to our marine product programme really completes our offering to the tug segment and provides a leaner, simpler and more efficient integrated solution to our customers,” said Jorgen Karlsson, tug and salvage segment manager, Caterpillar Marine.

A new hybrid interface enables operators to switch between mechanical and electric power for the thrusters, enabling a higher average engine load by running only engines or generator sets needed for the current operation mode. This flexibility can help reduce fuel consumption and engine maintenance.

Users of the new thrusters can select between different drive modes depending on operational requirements. Standby and low-speed transits can be operated on full diesel-electric mode; for high-speed transit and light towing the main engines power thrusters, with electrical load taken up by gensets; for full power, offering the best acceleration from the engines and gensets, main engines and booster motors power the thrusters; and in fire-fighting mode the fire-fighting pumps are powered by the main engines while the azimuth thrusters are powered by genset and electrical motors.

The thruster unit and nozzle have been optimised for minimum resistance and maximum performance. Optional nozzle profiles are available to suit different operation profiles.