The BOWB285, BOWB300 and BOWB320 are the company’s most powerful Bow Pro thrusters yet

International sales manager Kevin Theuns at METSTRADE

Vetus marked the global debut of its all-new Bow Pro Boosted thruster series at METSTRADE.

The new BOWB285, BOWB300 and BOWB320 thrusters are the company’s most powerful Bow Pro thrusters and the first Bow Pro units in the 300mm tunnel range.

The innovative thrusters incorporate unique features, including the use of an induction electric motor that allows proportional thrust control, says Kevin Theuns, International Sales Manager for Vetus B.V. “Pressing on the control lever with a gentle push activates he thruster, or you can press harder and bring it to full thrust,” he explains. “It also has a very long run time.”

Theuns notes that the design will run for up to 10 minutes on full power thanks to its induction motor and efficient design. “A typical thruster will run for about two minutes on full power, then it becomes too warm and stops working,” he explains. “But the Bow Pro 285, 300 and 320 can run for at least 120 minutes at full power, and at half power they will just keep running indefinitely.”

Theuns says that capability can be beneficial when crews wish to hold a vessel against a pier, for example. Pressing a button on the end of the control joystick locks the thruster in operation, allowing the captain to leave the bridge and assist in securing lines.

Additional features include Vetus’s internal three-stage charging process, which enables the 48V battery bank to be recharges from a 24-volt source, eliminating the need for a separate charger. The new units work with company’s standard proportional control panels, while CAN-bus protocol operation allows compatibility with NMEA and J-1939 protocols.