Schottel is a manufacturer of propulsion and steering systems for ships and offshore applications. The company founder Josef Becker invented the rudderpropeller, a z-drive, in 1950. Today the company develops and manufactures azimuth propulsion, maneuvering and steering systems. In 2014 the subsidiary Schottel Hydro was founded to bundle up the company activities in the hydrokinetic energy segment.
History
Early beginnings In 1921 Josef Becker (1897–1973) founded his craftsman's enterprise in an old farmhouse in Spay on the Rhine. In 1925 he designed and built his first shallop, followed by the first motorboat in 1928. In the mid 1930s Becker bought part of the present-day company premises and founded Schottel Werft. He named his enterprise after a section of the river Rhine which is called Auf der Schottel and located close by in Osterspai.
From shipyard to ship propulsion With the beginning of the 1950s Becker started working on his invention, a ship propeller that is steerable through 360 degrees. In 1951 the company's own motorboat was equipped with the first Schottel Rudderpropeller, which Becker called SRP. Soon, the rudderpropeller was known as a propulsion unit for small fast patrol craft for the German police and government. At the end of this decade Schottel opened its first subsidiary abroad in the Netherlands. In 1967, Janus, the first tractor tug equipped with two rudderpropellers, was launched in Hamburg.
The next Schottel propulsion system was launched in 1978: The Schottel Pump Jet was designed for operation in shallow waters and installed flush with a vessel's hull. In 1996 the portfolio expanded with the Schottel Twin Propeller, a twin version of the rudderpropeller. In 2003, the Schottel Combi Drive was established with an electric motor which is vertically integrated into the support tube of the rudderpropeller. In 1998 Schottel opened a new production plant in Suzhou, China. The following year, Schottel acquired WPM Wismarer Propeller-und Maschinenbau GmbH which was merged in the newly founded Schottel Schiffsmaschinen and a new Schottel GmbH office in Wismar. Schottel expands its production capacities in Dörth, an industrial park surrounding the Schottel headquarters in Spay. In summer 2015, of production and office space will be available.
Schottel worldwide Schottel GmbH has its headquarters in Spay, two German subsidiaries in Hamburg and Wismar, and a network of subsidiary agencies in several countries and regions.
Schottel subsidiaries Schottel Nederland, 1958 Schottel US, 1961 Schottel France, 1971 Schottel Far East, 1976 Schottel do Brasil, 1975 Schottel Suzhou Propulsion, China, 1998 Schottel Schiffsmaschinen (formerly known as Wismarer Propeller Maschinen), 1999 Schottel Russia, 2011 Schottel Middle East, 2011 Schottel Suzhou Trading & Service, 2011 Schottel Australia, 2013 Frydenbø Schottel Nordic, 2013 Schottel de Colombia, 2014 Schottel Hydro, Germany, 2014
Core business Since Schottel developed the first Z-drive in the 1950s the product portfolio has been extended by a range of thruster types (selection).
The Schottel Rudderpropeller The idea of the rudderpropeller was the result of Becker's thoughts about the propulsion plants that took up too much space on board. He was looking for a system that could be installed space-efficiently with good maneuvering properties and developed a Z-drive system with a propeller that could be endlessly steered through 360 degrees. A classic application for rudderpropellers is tugs as the example of Janus shows. The first tractor tug was commissioned in 1967 in the Port of Hamburg. It was equipped with two Schottel Rudderpropellers in the front third of the vessel.
The Schottel Rudderpropeller is used in almost any kind of vessel from offshore vessels to tugs. It is available as a fixed pitch or controllable-pitch propeller. It is also available as a hydraulically retractable system for open-water service, dynamic positioning or varying water depths and underwater mountable thruster for ships that need to reduce docking times.
In 2014 Schottel introduced a rudderpropeller with an additional electric motor (PTI - power take in) as a hybrid propulsion concept. Here, the electric motor suffices for partial-load duties, the diesel engine is employed for operation at greater load, and the electric motor can be switched on to provide additional power. The PTI and diesel engine are centrally-controlled as a single system. This thruster is installed in the tug Eddy, built by Holland Shipyard.
The Schottel Twin Propeller The demand for increasing power ratings could first be answered with larger rudderpropellers. Limits were set to this trend by mechanical stress and the fact that with an increasing propeller diameter, the draft of the vessel inevitably increases. Schottel therefore developed a thruster where the required power is divided between two counter-rotating thrusters that share a single shaft. The Twin Propeller is equipped with a pull propeller and a push propeller. The vortex street of the front pull propeller passes between the blades of the rear push propeller without impeding it. Contraction of the slip stream in the pull propeller means that more water reaches the push propeller from the sides. The strut is equipped with a fin, thus the swirl energy generated in the propeller stream is recovered. Additionally, the flow around the fins creates a lift component in the thrust direction, which has a thrust-enhancing effect.
The Schottel Combi Drive The Combi Drive is based on the Schottel Rudderpropeller and combines its characteristics with the principle of an electric drive. The Combi Drive exists in both single and twin propeller versions. Instead of an above-water gearbox, the electric motor is integrated into the vertical shaft of the thruster. In combination with a power management system, electric drives increase the efficiency of the propulsion system and reduce fuel consumption. Electric energy generation systems produce only the power currently required and distribute it to the various consumers.
The Schottel Pump Jet Schottel developed the Pump Jet for shallow waters. It is also used as an additional maneuvering aid for main propulsion or as a redundant auxiliary propulsion unit. An impeller sucks in water from under the hull and forces it into a pump housing. The outlet nozzles are integrated into an azimuthing base plate which is installed flush with the hull.
The Schottel Controllable Pitch Propeller Schottel Controllable Pitch Propellers can be used in several vessel types like bigger ferries, container ships, heavy lift vessels or offshore supply vessels. The power spectrum includes application up to . The propeller diameters vary between . Unlike a conventional fixed pitch propeller, the blades can be rotated and change their pitches variably from zero thrust to headway or reversing.
The Schottel Transverse Thruster Transverse Thrusters are installed in the bow or stern of a vessel in order to improve maneuverability. Depending on the type of vessel, the range of application for Transverse Thrusters extends from harbor maneuvering to positioning tasks offshore. The units can be installed either with a horizontal or vertical motor flange.
Schottel Hydro
Schottel Hydro bundles up the hydrokinetic energy business of Schottel. The subsidiary comprises activities in three segments: instream turbines for river and tidal currents, semi-submerged platforms and components, such as turbine hubs and drives. The hydrokinetic turbines have a rotor diameter between and produce between . Turbines can be combined to meet higher power demands.
In 2016, Schottel Hydro and its subsidiaries planned to install a tidal turbine array named TRITON in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. In 2017, Schottel Hydro scaled down its Bay of Fundy operations, going from the planned large turbine array to a smaller tidal platform made by Scottish company Sustainable Marine, which was deployed in 2019. Schottel Hydro and Sustainable Marine merged later in 2019 and continued working in the Bay of Fundy until 2023, when the project was shut down.
Selected projects Year of construction Name Product Owner/ Operator Additional Information 2014 Bhagwan Dryden 2x STP 550 Bhagwan Marine dive support vessel 2013 Vidar 4x SCD 20203x STT 3030 HOCHTIEF Solutions AG construction vessel 2013 Connor Bordelon 2x SRP 12152x STT 2 Bordelon Marine offshore supply vessel 2013 Starnav Perseus 2x SCD 20202x STT 2 Starnav platform supply vessel 2012 GPC Barú 2x SRP 1515 SPR Cartagena azimuth stern driven tug 2013 Sl Jamba 2x SRP 1515 Smit Lamnalco azimuth stern driven tug 2013 Cerro Itamut 2x SRP 2020 Panama Canal Authority tractor tug 2013 HOS Red Dawn 2x SRP 20202x STT 4 Hornbeck Offshore Services offshore supply vessel 2012 Lolland 4x STP 550 Faergen double-ended ferry 2012 Starnav Perseus 2x SCD 20202x STT 2 Starnav platform supply vessel 2011 Bibby Tethra 2x SPJ 57 RD Osiris Projects research vessel 2010 Calovébora 2x SRP 1515 Panama Canal Authority ASD tug 2010 Baltic 2x SCP 100-4XG4x STT Fairplay Schleppdampfschiffs-Reederei Richard Borchard GmbH salvage tug of the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure 2009 Adriaan 3x SRP 1215 Kotug International BV rotor tug 2007 Janus 2x SCP 119-4XG3x STT 330 T-LK CP Harms Bergung GmbH & Co. KG anchor handling tug 2005 SyltExpress 2x STP 1212 Förde Reederei Seetouristik Double-ended ferry 2004 Empress of the North 2x STP 12121x SPJ 220 Majestic America Line paddle steamer 2004 RheinEnergie 2x STP 440 Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt excursion ship 2004 Arkona 2x SSP 21x SPJ 220 Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Stralsund multipurpose vessel 2001 Peter Pan 2x SSP 10 TT-Line GmbH und Co. KG RoPax-ferry 1999 Fairplay 25 2x SRP 1515 CPP Fairplay Reederei GmbH ASD tug (bollard pull: 65 t) 1998 Berlin 2x SCP 141-4XG German Navy combat supply vessel 1997 Neuwerk 2x SRP 30301x SPJ 520 Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure multipurpose vessel 1996 Goethe 1x SPJ 571x STT 060 Köln-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt paddle steamer 1988 M-Boot 3 2x SPJ 55 M German Army multipurpose vessel for the German army 1986 Saipem 7000 4x SRP 4500 Micoperi Srl / Saipem S.p.A. biggest available SRP thruster in 1986 (4500 kW) 1955 Stadt Boppard 1x SRP1x NAV Family Deleu Ferry construction year 1892, conversion 1955
Awards In 2004 the Elmer A. Sperry Award was given posthumously to Schottel founder Josef Becker for the invention of the propeller.
References
External links Schottel website