FULL SCALE PERFORMANCE OF GATE RUDDER

Abstract

This paper introduces full scale performance results obtained from voyage data taken from two 2400 dwt container ships, one equipped with the world’s first GATE RUDDER®. This is an innovative design, which is not seen as a conventional energy saving device and which has not been fully explored so far. The recent full-scale trials with this coastal container vessel have confirmed the superior performance of the GATE RUDDER® system which has shown 14% reduction in fuel consumption when compared with it’s sister vessel having a conventional rudder system. After 12 months from delivery, the voyage data from both vessels revealed that in some situations the gain could be much larger at abt. 27%. In this paper, the full scale operational performance differences from not only the model test but also the sea trial result are presented.