British Antarctic Survey has operated a 50T3 Vertical Shaft Unit and a 40 HJP Horizontal Shaft Unit on our Research Vessel, the RRS James Clark Ross for over 27 years.

The design of the thrusters is unique for scientific research vessels. Being flush with the hull plating, the thrusters greatly reduce turbulence, which enables a suite of acoustic equipment to survey Antarctic marine life accurately. Our new vessel the ‘RRS Sir David Attenborough’ will be fitted with four TWG 60T3 Vertical Shaft Units. This will help achieve a smooth hull shape, greatly improving the accuracy of the data the vessel will collect whilst still meeting the Class requirements of Lloyds DP2.

Byron Marine Ltd have exclusively used Tees White Gill Thrusters to service and support the 40T3S bowthruster on our multi-purpose support vessel ‘Pharos SG’ which has been operating continuously in the South Atlantic for the past 11 years. We have received excellent service and support at a reasonable cost on all aspects including quoting for and providing spare parts, service engineers during dry dockings and providing technical advice when requested.

We are satisfied with the work done, as usual the job was done with great professionalism and in a short time. Thank you very much for your support.

We recently did a 5 year overhaul in our unit onboard CS TENEO, during her dry docking in Dominican Republic. Tech rep attendance and job was quick, smooth and done with professionalism. The unit worked great during sea trials and is working well in current operations. We’re glad to have Tees assistance in all our overhauls.

Our vessel ‘Granuaile’ is fitted with a White Gill Bow Thruster Model 50T3S which was installed when the vessel was built back in 1999. We have had no issue with the unit whilst in service that required assistance. Tees White Gill engineers attend at our intermediate dockings to assess the unit condition and make recommendations for maintenance required at special docking (every 5 years). Tees White Gill engineers also supervise dockyard workers during all maintenance and they have always carried out required maintenance within the allotted docking timeframe thanks to their experience and planning. We have always been very happy with the service provided and never had any issues following the maintenance being carried out. Very happy with the overall service provided by Tees White Gill.

Marine Systems Corporation has worked with the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard, & Nantucket Steamship Authority’s (SSA) installation of Tees White Gill thrusters since 1993. To date Tees White Gill thrusters have been installed in the 71.6M LOA M/V MARTHA’S VINEYARD (1993 Atlantic Marine, Jacksonville, FL); the 77.7M LOA M/V ISLAND HOME (2006 VT Halter, Moss Point, MS); and the 71.6M LOA M/V WOODS HOLE (2016 Conrad Shipyard, Morgan City, LA). The Tees White Gill thruster is particularly well suited to the operational parameters of the SSA fleet of high windage and relatively shallow draft passenger vehicle ferries servicing the Massachusetts, USA islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket 365 days a year.

With full discharge capability of 360 degrees at keel depth, the Tees White Gill units provide a maneuvering reserve which is very much appreciated by the SSA fleet Captains. An added emergency bonus is a reserve “take home” capability in the event of main propulsion failure. MARTHA’S VINEYARD sea trials proved a 4.0 knot speed under thruster power alone. Significant steering capability using thruster power is experienced at vessel speeds up to 6 knots.

The installation of a Tees White Gill thruster in WOODS HOLE was a direct result of SSA Captains’ experience on MARTHA’S VINDYARD over a 23 year span of time. Frequent maneuvering in strong winter winds and year round current conditions, which are common in the SSA service area, can be challenging indeed, and these thrusters have proved their value in providing an additional margin of safety.