Voith has delivered and installed the first two US-made Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) units in the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Rodanthe ferry.
The ferry will be operated by the NCDOT and used in its service to the Outer Banks. Rodanthe will be added to the fleet that transports 1,623,670 passengers and 751,656 vehicles every year between the islands of Ocracoke and Hatteras.
Voith Marine Business Americas head Ivo Beu said: “By linking steering and propulsion together, the VSP allows for fast response and precision movement in even the roughest of waters.
“This helps the operators pilot their ferry better while also keeping passengers and cargo safe thanks to the VSP’s superior handling in comparison to other propulsion systems available on the market.”
Commissioned by NCDOT, the VSP propulsion systems were built and tested in Voith’s facility in York, Pennsylvania, to meet the required specifications for the island-hopping ferries. Units feature operational reliability and require low maintenance.
Beu further added: “By producing the VSP in Pennsylvania, our North American production team expands its marine production expertise and capabilities to better serve our regional customers.”
After the VSP units were installed in November, the propellers were delivered to Bollinger Shipyards in Louisiana for installation into the Rodanthe. The NCDOT Shipyard in Manns Harbor, North Carolina, will receive Rodanthe in May. It is expected to start operations this year. The VSP units combine propulsion and steering and are in use across the globe.
