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bed passenger capacity measure of 3,138 or maximum of 3,840, together with up to 1,180 crew. This ship has occupied some of the best minds in interior design as well as some of the most innovative minds in naval architecture. It furthermore denotes the attainment of a new mile- stone in the passengership domain as regards marine engineering technology, expressed in her refined diesel-electric power and propulsion system incorpo- rating a triple Azipod configuration. Voyager of the Seas is emphatically also a new showcase for the concept of redundancy, applied to the main ship- board operating systems, and signifying central concerns with issues of reliabili- ty and safety. Power of the Pod The creation and integration of podded propulsion systems - arguably one of the most innovative maritime technological advances ever — eminates wholly from the Finnish maritime cluster of ship- builders, marine equipment suppliers and technology innovators. The Finns, with a long track record in thruster tech- nology, were the leaders in the podded drive concept, first applied in the form of a 1.5-MW Azipod unit to a Finnish waterway service vessel in 1991. The most widely employed system to date, Azipod was originated by ABB Industry and Kvaerner Masa-Yards (KMY), but Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri is also a shareholder today in the system's propri- etary company. The growing uptake of integral elec- tric-driven, podded propulsors in the most capital-intensive sector of the cruise shipping industry, has forever altered the established position of con- ventional propulsion systems in an important segment of the market. Hav- ing established a foothold in the offshore sector, the concept will undoubtedly find increasing application with the next upswing in investment by the offshore oil and gas industry. The relative paucity of orders for pod- ded drives in areas where precision han- dling is paramount, as with icebreakers, cableships, ferries and specialized tankers, belies the extent to which such systems are being written into draft pro- posals or discussed at the project plan- ning stage. The concept is especially apposite to vessels with varying service profiles, particularly where high maneu- verability is required. The long-term sales impact of the industrial commitment from the design engineering and manufacturing side can- not be understated. In each case, podded propulsors are the products of pairings entailing major players in propulsion and electrical engineering, entailing direct or indirect links with leading ship- builders, in certain instances. Ship Design on "V A An Employee Owned Company Naval Architecture • Marine Engineering • Program Support Services Since 1957 - Commercial and Military Ship New Construction and Conversion Design, Detail Design, International Construction Program Support, Marine Consulting, Pollution Prevention Programs Alexandria, VA • Arlington, VA • New York, NY* Newport News, VA Pascagoula, MS • Pittsburgh, PA • Bath, ME • Port Hueneme, CA Seattle, WA John J. McMullen Associates, Inc. Corporate Headquarters: 4300 King Street • Suite 400 • Alexandria, VA • 22302 Business Development Office: (703) 933-6690 • Fax: (703) 933-6777 Web Site: www.JJMA.com E-Mail: Marketing® JJMA.com Circle 315 on Reader Service Card Low Location Lighting IMO Safety Signs When a disaster strikes, there's only one chance to escape. Trust YFESTOS® products to guide the way to safety! • Latest In Photoluminescent Technology - No Electricity Needed Brightest and Longest Afterglow Available Classification Society Approved to IMO Res. A.752(18) Age Tested to 20 years - No Loss of Brightness Proven by Independent Study to Greatly Improve Mustering and Evacuation > For a free video, catalog and sample of YFESTOS®, please contact: CSD Sealing Systems - North America • 880 Candia Road • Manchester, NH 03109 USA Tel. 603-641-3914 • Fax 603-641-2682 • www.csdsealingsystems.com E-Mail: sales@csdsealingsystems.com YFESTOS ® - A Bright Idea For Safety Circle 301 on Reader Service Card February, 2000 51