After a year of testing, Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s largest shipbuilder, says its new fuel saving propeller attachment is now ready to hit the market.

The attachment, which HHI calls Hi-FIN (Hyundai End-plated Cap Fin), is an energy-saving device attached at the hub of the propeller that generates countering swirls to offset the swirls generated by the propeller, leading to improved propulsion efficiency.

After a year-long trial of the device installed on a 162,000 m3 LNG carrier ordered from Maran Gas, HHI found that Hi-FIN can save up to 2.5 % of fuel in comparison with the same type of vessels without Hi-FIN. If the fuel saving ratio is calculated on the basis of an 8,600 TEU containership, the owners or operators of the containership can save about $750,000 per year or $19 million over a ships 25 years estimated lifespan, according to HHI.

HHI says the Hi-FIN attachment is already drawing attention from ship owners across the globe, having won orders for over 30 ships today. The company says it expects more orders now that it can install the device on broader types of ships from LNG carriers to almost all types of ships including VLCC, LPG carriers and containerships.

By gCaptain