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Thrusters ordered for emergency response, icebreaker vessels
Investment in emergency response, salvage, research and icebreaking vessels in the Baltic region and beyond has led to orders for azimuth thrusters from European manufacturers
Governments of nations with Baltic coastlines have renewed their fleets with newbuilds ready to assist distressed ships in the region and to provide ice-breaking support.
These newbuilds have the latest propulsion technology to tackle challenging operations in harsh environments.
At the end of 2025, thrusters were ordered for the Polish Navy’s rescue vessel Ratownik, currently under construction at PGZ Stocznia Wojenna, Poland, to enhance the country’s naval forces’ ability to protect subsea infrastructure, rescue vessels and submarines in the Baltic Sea.
This 96-m vessel will have dynamic positioning (DP), cranes, remotely operated vehicles and an off-ship fire-fighting system when it is delivered to the Polish Navy in 2029.
Germany-headquartered Schottel is supplying its propulsion systems ready for the vessel’s launch in 2027.
It will provide two EcoPellers of type SRE 560, two transverse thrusters type STT 3 and a retractable RudderPropeller of type SRP 260 R to serve as an auxiliary or emergency propulsion unit.
The SRP 260 R will remain retracted within the hull during transits and could be extended when additional thrust or DP performance is required. Since Ratownik will operate in harsh environments, all propulsion components are adapted for ice-prone waters.
“We are focused on equipping Ratownik with systems that will ensure reliable performance in the most demanding Baltic Sea conditions,” said PGZ Stocznia Wojenna chief executive Marcin Ryngwelski.
“The propulsion package is essential for precise manoeuvrability during submarine rescue operations and DP missions.”
Finland-based Steerprop has secured orders for the propulsion package for German icebreaking research vessel, Polarstern, which is being built for the Alfred Wegener Institute’s Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research.
This Polar Class 2 icebreaker is being built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and will have two SP 160 azimuth thrusters and two SP 40 TT Arc tunnel thrusters as part of an integrated package from Steerprop.
Deliveries scheduled for 2027 include propulsion controls for the integrated bridge system and tunnel extensions for this 160-m vessel.
For the latest icebreaking tug, Damen Shipyard-built Victoria, Steerprop supplied two SP 60 Eco propulsors with contra-rotating propellers, each rated at 3,700 kW and certified to 1A Super ice class.
This 34-m azimuth stern drive tug is operating in the port of Lulea, Sweden, in the northern Gulf of Bothnia.
It is designed to maintain 8 knots through 1-m thick floe ice or 3 knots through 1-m first-year level ice.
In Canada, Steerprop worked with Seaspan Shipyards to integrate propulsion on a new icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard.
Its propulsion includes two ice-class bow thrusters and a tunnel thruster for propulsion through ice and DP operations.
Kongsberg Maritime won a contract in Q4 2025 to provide rim-drive thrusters for a research vessel being built for India’s Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers.
The thruster package comprises two RD-AZ2600 azimuth thrusters, two RD-TT1600 tunnel thrusters and the MCON control system.
In December 2025, Kongsberg introduced two new sizes of its underwater, mountable and permanent-magnet (UUC PM) azimuth thruster range.
Its UUC PM 405 model includes units with 3.8 m and 4.1 m propeller diameters, delivering 86 and 91 tonnes of thrust respectively.
Kongsberg is also developing UUC PM models offering up to 5.5 m diameter and power ratings of 6,000 kW to support larger vessels and more demanding maritime and offshore applications, including DP.
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