If you have been active in inland shipping for a long time, you continually see new developments coming in. If, like Henk de Vries, you have been active in the industry for almost half a century, you sometimes even see discoveries making a come-back decades later.
De Vries (69) experienced that when he supervised the construction of his latest MTS Myriam. More or less by coincidence, the RMS came up in a discussion with DMC. De Vries had known of the system since its introduction in 2000, but it had faded into the background somewhat for him since then. Yet an RMS for more course stability and less fuel consumption was precisely what he needed.
Magnus effect
The RMS consists of a vertical cylinder of corrosion-resistant composite material. At a sailing speed of 6 km/h or more, the cylinder can submerge into the water below the vessel. The operation of the system is based on the principle of the Magnus effect, the physical phenomenon in which the rotation of objects in a liquid or in air affects their propulsion.
Course stability, less fuel consumption
De Vries finds the RMS very easy to use. ‘With a crosswind, you lower the rotor a little and you can stay perfectly on course. At first, you have to find the combination with the ordinary rudders at the back, so that the bow and stern ‘communicate’, as it were. But once you have mastered that, it all goes fairly simply. When you want more propulsion, you extend the cylinder a little lower below the vessel and give the command for faster rotation. You then definitely notice the effect.’
Apart from improved course stability and, therefore, improved safety, the RMS has another major advantage for him: it saves him fuel. ‘The rudders at the stern now have little or no rudder deflection, and everyone knows that all rudder deflection causes a change in speed, which in turn costs fuel. We no longer have to deal with that now.’
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