Cost-effectiveness, safety and environmental protection are issues which shipping companies can no longer afford to ignore. Instead of repairing a vessel or building a new one, in many cases it is more efficient to modernize the vessel and its propulsion system.

It is not at all unusual to see SCHOTTEL propulsion systems which are 20 - 30 years old or more and still get the job done. In most cases, however, the requirements on the vessel and its crew have changed over the years, as has the technology. Demands for greater safety, comfort, or easier maintenance are only a few of the reasons for modernizing these systems. And this is what we have to offer:

• Conversion to a steering system with modern digital electronics and proportional hydraulics.
• Retrofitting of a SCHOTTEL propulsion system (Rudderpropeller, Pump-Jet or Transverse Thruster) to improve vessel manoeuvrability.
• Retrofitting of a SCHOTTEL Pump-Jet as an azimuthing bow installation, usable as a take-home drive unit.
• Replacement of propeller systems by SCHOTTEL Pump-Jets for operation in shallow waters and areas with floating debris.

• Smoother steering and reduced hydraulic noise through modernization of the steering system.
• Resilient mounting of the propulsion system.

• Better and faster docking by supplementing propulsion systems with a SCHOTTEL drive unit.
• Increase in speed and thrust by replacing older-series Rudderpropellers with new, uprated models (little or no modification of the vessel required) or by replacing of Rudderpropellers with higher-efficiency Twin Propellers.
• Reduced fuel consumption.
• Simple integration with dynamic positioning or autopilot systems.
• Quick and easy installation of SCHOTTEL Navigators, new or secondhand, for supplementary motorization of work boats.

• Independent monitoring of propulsion systems by the SCHOTTEL warning system and the fault detection facility of our new control systems.
• Availability of spare parts.
• Very good accessibility of all propulsion components when using a SCHOTTEL Navigator.

Since 1993, we have carried out several hundreds of modernizations.