Thrust Fin Reduces Fuel Costs by More Than Five Percent

2008-06-23

The first 8,600 TEU containership equipped with a Thrust Fin was delivered to Hapag Lloyd. Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) confirmed that the Thrust Fin reduced fuel costs by more than five percent in sea trials for the vessel. Hapag Lloyd requested an additional six Thrust Fins for their other containerships.

A large containership consumes approximately 300 tons of fuel per day. If it is equipped with a Thrust Fin, the annual savings in fuel expenses could total $2.4 million. With an average ship lifetime of 25 years, this amounts to $60 million in savings per ship.

The Thrust Fin is an airfoil-shaped device that is attached to the rudder behind the propeller, maximizing thrust force. It extracts thrust from the rotational flow, with the theory of lift generation in aeronautics applied to its design.

HHI developed the world’s first Thrust Fin in 2006 and has already registered its patent in Korea and applied overseas patents in ten countries, including the USA and Germany.

HHI plans to build a mass production system for Thrust Fins, reducing the production period in order to make 30 Fins per year.

The Thrust Fin will make it more difficult for Japan and China to catch up to us. With our emphasis on developing new technology, we will continue to maintain our position as the leader in the shipbuilding market,” said Mr. Min Keh-sik, Vice Chairman and CEO of HHI.

Hyundai Heavy Industries, press release