Thordon Bearings BlueWater Seal is a new propeller shaft seal with a unique Safe Return to Port (SRTP) design that specifically meets commercial shipping industry needs for low maintenance and robust shaft seals. The Thordon BlueWater Seal completes the COMPAC open seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system.

Commenting on the development, Thordon Bearings’ Technical Director, Anthony Hamilton, said: “The BlueWater Seal meets growing market demand for a complete propeller shaft line solution from a single source. Although we can offer the seal as an individual component, it forms a fundamental part of the Thordon COMPAC open seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system.”

The COMPAC system includes Thordon’s proprietary seawater lubricated COMPAC bearings, shaft liners, ThorShield anti-corrosion shaft coating, a Thordon Water Quality Package, a Thordon Bearing Condition Monitoring System, and, now, the new BlueWater Seal.

The seal can be installed to all vessels with shaft diameters between 300 mm to 1,000 mm (11.8 to 39.4 in) and is simple to install, operate and maintain.

This technology, developed in-house by Chief Research Engineer Gary Ren, allows the facing elements of the seal to operate almost without any friction. In practical terms, it means the seal is much better suited to variable and low draught conditions – a key benefit to a globally-operating merchant ship.

During comparative trials on Thordon’s full-scale test rig in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, the seal operated without friction spikes and considerably less friction than similar seals leading to reduced wear, longer life and less maintenance.

“This seal minimizes water leakage and dramatically improves hydrodynamic and lubrication efficiency,” explained Hamilton. “The development is a real boon to those ship owners and operators looking to adopt an open seawater lubricated shaft line arrangement as the entire propeller shaft line system can now be sourced from one company,” he said.