New Technology

A joint research project carried out by Wärtsilä and City University London has succeeded in identifying the specific design parameters that create the risk of singing propellers. Though rare, singing propellers are nevertheless an annoying problem that occurs as a strong tonal noise originating from the propeller, thus causing a negative effect to onboard comfort levels. The research programme reached its conclusions in December 2015.

The problem has long been recognised in the marine industry. While the general perception has been that the frequency of the propeller blades’ vibration mode coincides with the frequency of the hydrodynamic excitation forces at the trailing edge of the blades, the current research indicates that there is more complexity and sensitiveness to this hypothesis.

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North P&I Club has warned its members that despite the enormous benefits of digital technology on and around ships, there may also be some downsides. In addition to its recent warning on cyber threats, the club highlights some less obvious risks from the digital age in the latest issue of its loss prevention newsletter Signals – including video calls, emails, mobile devices and even 3D printing.

Loss prevention director Tony Baker says, ‘While many ships now offer technology such as satellite video calling to keep crews in touch with loved ones back home, care should be taken to ensure this does not make matters worse. For some seafarers, having easy access to friends, family and their ongoing domestic problems could lead to increased anxiety compared to the traditional clean break of departure.’

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