Compac for life

(Posted on 11/09/18)

Thordon Bearings is offering its award-winning COMPAC seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system with a lifetime bearing wear life guarantee.

To date, the COMPAC bearing has been offered with a 15-year wear life guarantee, but with the development announced last week at the SMM 2018 trade show in Hamburg, Germany, Thordon, the global leader in seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearings, is guaranteeing that its tough polymer bearings will not need to be replaced throughout a vessel’s operational life.

The extended wear life of a component critical to vessel performance is based on an extensive study of the performance data of the 550-plus COMPAC shaft bearings in operation on commercial vessels, dating back more than 25 years.

Thordon Bearings’ President and CEO, Terry McGowan, said: “After evaluating the performance and operational data of the ocean-going merchant vessels that operate COMPAC seawater lubricated bearings we found that if the environment was controlled - ensuring an adequate supply of clean water consistently delivered to the shaft bearings – the COMPAC bearing wear was minimal. Environmental protection is of course high on the list of priorities for ship owners, but system reliability, reduced operational expenditure and maintenance are other key factors influencing the purchasing decision.”

“We believe our system meets these commercial ship owner priorities, and this is why we are pleased to now offer our COMPAC bearings with a lifetime guarantee. With the announcement today, we are taking the seawater lubricated propeller shaft to the next level.”

The COMPAC bearing is guaranteed to meet Classification Society propeller shaft bearing wear specifications for the lifetime of the vessel or Thordon Bearings will supply new bearings free of charge. According to VesselsValue.com, the average merchant ship lifespan is 25 years.