Proven Performance - Merchant Marine

Seawater-Lubricated Shaft Reliability
Proven Performance!

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"Water-Lubricated Shaft Reliability Proven in Cruising" article from Ship & Offshore Magazine - March 2018

Water-lubricated Shaft Reliability Proven in Cruising

Our COMPAC bearing system will last as long as an oil system and we can prove it!

Thordon has over 550 ocean-going tankers, bulkers, dry cargo, ferry, cruise and container ships equipped with COMPAC seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearings. Two of our earlier ship references were equipped with Thordon COMPAC in 1998. During their years of continuous service with many daily port stops, neither of the two cruise ships experienced downtime, cancellations or changes to cruise itineraries due to propeller shaft bearing or seal failure. Bearing wear was minimal and consistent as presented in the Ship & Offshore article.

See the proven performance charts and find out why Thordon's COMPAC system is making waves in the industry!

With the reliability demanded in your industry, using Thordon’s COMPAC seawater-lubricated system can eliminate your seal headaches and reduce your OPEX for your ships. Now is the time to get on board!

Substantially Lower Operating Cost than an Oil System
Zero Environmental Impact – no oil leakage headaches as no oil/EAL used
No Aft Seal Emergencies
Guaranteed Compliance
Reduced Maintenance
COMPAC is proven to last! We have references on 550+ commercial vessels that use seawater lubricated shaftlines

COMPAC bearings with key
slots for fixed key

Thordon COMPAC bearings

COMPAC bearings fitted to
Citadel Ferussmit

“It's a No Brainer! A seawater lubricated shaft means there is less to worry about.”

– Andy Wright, Fleet Operations Director | Technical Operations,
Holland America Group | Serving Princess Cruises

Propeller Shaft Bearing

COMPAC

Thordon COMPAC is a high performance water lubricated bearing system primarily for “blue water” operating conditions. Specially formulated with a low coefficient of friction to reduce startup friction and eliminate stick-slip,

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Shaft Coating

ThorShield

Thordon's ThorShield propeller shaft coating system provides corrosion protection against seawater. This toughened, 2-part epoxy coating is up to nine times more flexible than existing shaft coating products.

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Water Quality Package

WQP

Thordon Water Quality Package is designed to supply seawater to the propeller shaft bearings for lubrication and cooling while condition the seawater by removing suspended solids.

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Shaft Seals

SeaThigor

The Thordon SeaThigor Seal is a mechanical face seal for 300mm (11.8") to 750mm (29.5") water lubricated propeller shafts found in yachts, cruise ships, merchant ships and naval vessels. The SeaThigor has evolved from a design first tested in 2003 and improved during the next decade.

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Documents

Commercial Ship AFT Seal Oil Discharges PDF, 909.34 KB Factual Accounts of Oil Leaking from Propeller Shaft Stern Tubes Due to AFT Seal Damage.
The Facts about COMPAC Open Seawater-Lubricated Propeller Shaft Systems PDF, 367.92 KB
Oil Emissions from Propulsion Systems of Commercial Ships PDF, 322.29 KB
COMPAC System Brochure for Merchant Fleet Vessels PDF, 873.63 KB
BCMv2 Brochure PDF, 316.03 KB

Technical Papers

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Seawater for Propeller Shaft Lubrication in Merchant Ships PDF, 980.89 KB This paper by Craig Carter looks at the growing uptake of open seawater lubricated propeller shaft systems considering environmental, operational, regulatory and shipbuilding issues
OurFuture-OurOcean-Whitepaper PDF, 698.33 KB Despite the introduction of legislation to reduce shipping’s impact on the oceans; it is quite staggering that over 95% of all new commercial ships continue to be built with oil lubricated propeller shafts. This white paper examines the environmental & commercial benefits of Seawater Lubricated Propeller Shafts.
Benefits of Seawater Lubricated Bearings to Prevent Environmental Impact for Prop Shaft Systems in Polar Regions PDF, 428.85 KB Technical paper by Craig Carter and Ken Ogle presented at 2015 Ice Class Vessels Conference - RINA Conference.
Analysis of In-Port Vessel Operational Lubricant Discharges and Leakages PDF, 580.48 KB This study focuses on marine inputs of lubricant oils within the 4,708 ports and harbours of the world through stern tube leakage and operational discharges in marine shipping.
IMO document from MEPC58 PDF, 303.11 KB This document provides information on stern tube oil pollution from ships and examines a proven and available technology to eliminate it using seawater lubricated stern tube bearings.

References

Class Society Requirements For Extended Shaft Withdrawals

Design

The final (fully finished) sizing of a Thordon elastomer or ThorPlas bearing can be determined by using the Thordon Bearing Sizing Calculation Program.

You cannot run the Thordon Bearing Sizing Calculation Program without a User Registration Number. Once you have a User Registration Number you can download the Program below and enter it when prompted.

Click here to Request a Bearing Sizing Program User Registration Number

If you have a Bearing Sizing Program User Registration Number, you can download the program here

Videos

Since 1965 Thordon has been providing water lubricated systems, this video examines the different components in the COMPAC Seawater Lubricated Propeller Shaft Bearing System and how they operate.

A brief animation of how seawater lubricated COMPAC propeller shaft bearings function.

Thordon Water Quality Package Animation. Thordon water quality package provides a clean flow of lubricating seawater to the propeller shaft bearings.

Thordon SeaThigor is a mechanical face seal for 300mm (11.8”) to 750mm (29.5”) water lubricated propeller shafts.

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Our Newsletter

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Read our most recent newsletter

Thordon Merchant Fleet NewsWorks 2023

Thordon’s web-based newsletter specifically developed for marine users of oil-free and grease-free bearings in the merchant marine sector. This newsletter includes articles that highlight our successes on tankers, bulk cargo carriers, ferries, and cruise ships with COMPAC seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings, and ThorPlas-Blue deck equipment installed and used around the world. We also introduce Thordon’s new BlueWater Seal and highlight the largest rudder bearing Thordon has ever produced.
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