In June 2022, ABS granted “Approval In Principle” to the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute, SDARI, for a revolutionary vessel design that negates the risk of pollution from oil-lubricated bearing seals and promotes efficient vessel operations.
The design, also developed in cooperation with Thordon Bearings, Canada, and the National Technical University of Athens, involves elimination of the sterntube, utilizing seawater for bearing lubrication, and creating an aft chamber to permit in-water maintenance, thus eliminating the need for drydocking or shaft line removal to replace the bearing and/or the seal. This promises significant efficiencies and substantial cost savings for most vessel types.
The winner of this year’s Technical Achievement Award, Dr Chris Leontopoulos, ABS Director, has led efforts relating to these innovative concepts, as well as similar R&D efforts regarding the prototype award-winning “Smart Bearing Sensor” and the pioneering of the bearing double-slope optimisation concept, already applied in the majority of new building vessels.
