Imperial Shipping chooses Van der Velden Marine Systems

The retractable flanking rudder system is an in-house innovation of Van der Velden Marine Systems (VDVMS). The system brings new efficiency to the inland shipping industry and will first be used in Paraguay. At the request of a large Dutch shipbuilder, VDVMS developed the system and had it tested independently by the Development Center for Ship Technology and Transport Systems (DST) in Duisburg (DE).

Flanking rudders are often used for inland river tow boats. They are located forward of the propellers in order to provide maneuverability during astern operations, giving the convoy control when backing or flanking.  In practice flanking rudders are only required during a small percentage of the sailing time and when not in use they are parasitic, producing drag and creating turbulence to the inflow of water to the main propellers. Retractable flanking rudders increase water flow to the propellers, reduce vessel drag and increase propulsive efficiency, directly resulting in increased fuel savings. 

In close cooperation with the customer and the end-client the VDVMS team designed, engineered and manufactured the retractable flanking units in less than 6 months.

Imperial Shipping’s new pushers, the Herkules XVII and Herkules XVIII, will operate on the Parana river in Paraguay with a maximum of 12 (approx. 62 x 17 m) barges, providing a total loading capacity of 35,000 tons. Including the towboat, the entire convoy will measure 290 x 50 meters.

Main characteristics:

Unprecedented powerhouses with 7 rudders and 5 independent steering gears

In addition to the delivery of two retractable flanking units (each with two high lift rudders and asymmetric steering gears) VDVMS has also supplied the main rudder system consisting of three HD240S high lift fishtail rudders with stainless steel reinforced leading edges. The vessel has five independently operating hydraulic power packs, three units which operate the three main rudders (3 x 1DW65/60) and two to retract and operate the flanking rudders (2 x 2DWK 4060/35). All main rudders are operated independently and controlled by the VDVMS Triple SP2700 control panel, the flanking rudders are operated by two SP2700 NFU control panels.

To operate the flanking rudder lift units, 2 HDMI touch screens (retractable flanking rudder operation and control system RET2700) have been installed. In addition, VDVMS supplied a proprietary follow up steering system to operate each rudder independently and one FU2700 steering lever to operate all three main rudders synchronized.

Van der Velden Marine Systems wishes the crews of the Herkules XVII and Herkules XVIII safe journeys and is confident that this “first-of-a-kind” retractable flanking rudder system will prove itself in these ultramodern tow boats.