Another example of co-operation in the pursuit of quality was the signing of the first version of the Common Quality Instructions by representatives of the major pod manufacturers at Posidonia in June.
The Pod Quality Forum was initiated by DNV in 2003 and consists of the three major pod manufacturers, ABB (Azipod), Rolls-Royce (Mermaid) and Siemens/Schottel (SSP), with DNV as secretary to facilitate their work, which had the aim of further improving pod quality and operational reliability.
Some 150 pod propulsion systems have been supplied over the past few years to a variety of vessels including cruise ships, ferries, supply vessels and ice breakers. The available power range is 0.5-25MW per propulsion unit.
The advantages of pods include great flexibility in the arrangement of machinery installations, relatively little space required onboard, and very good manoeuvrability.
The quality instructions are general and apply to generic pod units. They have been divided into three relevant phases, which now tie in with the manufacturers' own quality systems:
- Production - covering manufacturing methods, main components, sub-systems, assembly and workshop installation, and workshop acceptance testing.
- Post-production - covering storage, transportation, installation, commissions, harbour and sea trial acceptance tests.
- Operational - covering customer support, life-cycle management, training, manuals, maintenance and monitoring.
The new quality instructions come in addition to what is normally required by class and will be implemented as an industry standard by each of the pod manufacturers involved. Crucial areas now covered are handling at shipyards and the operational phase, including manuals.
For the manufacturers, this co-operation gives greater control over the quality of components and will enable further improvements through sharing of experience.
The three pods all incorporate different technologies, so the companies will continue to compete with these technologies and will work separately on new developments. New regulations for passenger ships are seen as presenting opportunities.