In the summer of 2005, the trials on the new EPS thruster were successfully completed at the MARIN marine institute in Holland. This has opened the way for the series manufacturing of these innovative propeller systems.

About the product: Van der Velden Marine Systems introduced a highly innovative propulsion system, which does not have a gear or propeller shaft. Using a pioneering construction and the very latest materials, the EPS thruster offers major benefits to shipowners and naval architects in terms of power-performance, noise, weight and robustness.

The EPS thruster represents a novel construction where blades are connected to an outer ring, rather than to a hub, as is the case with conventional thrusters. Since there is no clearance between the propeller and tube a likely source of cavitation is removed, resulting in an extremely quiet operation. According to the company, this solution provides other numerous benefits such as good power-performance ratio, higher power at similar cross-sections, simple and robust construction, and low weight. High performance ceramic bearings ensure good reliability and exchangeable blades facilitate ease of maintenance and repairs.