Orkot® Marine Bearings, developed and manufactured by Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, have contributed to the building of the world’s largest and most efficient container ships, the Maersk Triple E-class family, built by Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding.
The Triple E name is derived from the class’s three design principles: economy of scale, energy efficient and environmentally improved.
At 400m and 1,312ft long, the ships are able to carry 2,500 more containers than the E class ships they replaced. The class uses a strategy known as slow steaming, which is expected to lower fuel consumption by 37% and carbon dioxide emissions per container by 50%. The Triple E design helped Maersk win a Sustainable Ship Operator of the Year award in July 2011.
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Rotherham facility general manager Barry Davies said: "We embrace the design principles of Maersk and took on the challenge to deliver the bearings that are fundamental to the success of these ships.
"The larger the ship, the bigger the size of the rudder and the more demanding it is to develop a bearing to optimise performance. Orkot bearings are proven in thousands of ships to give maintenance free operation over many years."
Orkot® TXMM and TLMM bearings, with their track record of over 60 years, were developed to meet the requirements of ever changing markets. The synthetic composite bearing materials incorporate solid lubricants to provide exceptional wear resistance, virtually no swell in water and great dimensional stability.
Proven in service, Orkot® TXMM and TLMM demonstrate unrivalled life and the lowest friction without additional lubrication. With results backed by extensive laboratory tests, the materials are approved by the majority of classification societies. Operating with water and grease lubrication, bearings can also be operated dry, tolerating edge loading and misalignment, even under high loads.