Current Situation of Inland Waterway Shipping & Product Positioning

Inland waterway shipping serves as a vital component of China’s comprehensive transportation system. Golden waterways including the Yangtze River, Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Xijiang River undertake nearly 20% of the country’s total freight volume and a large volume of water passenger transport demands. With the implementation of the "Dual Carbon" strategy and full-scale promotion of green intelligent retrofitting for inland vessels, traditional diesel shaft-driven power ships suffer from prominent pain points such as high energy consumption, clumsy maneuverability, severe pollution, and cabin space crowding cargo capacity. The inland waterway market is in urgent need of a new generation of efficient, low-carbon and flexible power solutions for vessels. Relying on fully self-developed core technologies, Tianjin Fuber Technology has launched the 250kW Azimuth Pod Propeller, filling the gap in electric power for medium-to-large inland cargo ships, passenger ferries and official engineering vessels. Featuring zero emission, ultra-high propulsion efficiency and 360° full-range steering capability, it reshapes the power standard for inland vessels and leads inland waterway shipping into a brand-new era of green intelligence.

I. Targeting Industry Pain Points: 250kW Power Precisely Matches Demand of Medium-to-Large Inland Vessels

For a long time, inland vessel power has faced a polarized dilemma: low-power electric outboards only fit sightseeing boats and small cleaning vessels, failing to support thousand-ton cargo ships; traditional high-power diesel main engines feature lengthy transmission chains with multiple mechanical losses from gearboxes and long shaft rudders, resulting in propulsion efficiency below 82%, excessive NOx and particulate emissions, plus bulky engine rooms that drastically reduce cargo and passenger space. Imported pod propulsion equipment comes with exorbitant prices and slow after-sales response, unable to adapt to domestic inland working conditions of shallow draft, narrow waterways and frequent berthing.

The Fuber 250kW Azimuth Pod Propeller precisely fills the power gap for medium-to-large inland vessels. Adopting the mature technical architecture of AT series, it fits 500-2000 ton pure electric/hybrid cargo ships, Yangtze trunk passenger ferries, waterway dredging engineering vessels and maritime law enforcement official ships. Rated at 540VDC high-voltage DC power supply, it perfectly matches standardized container lithium battery energy storage systems for inland waterways. A single unit can deliver basic thrust for medium vessels, while twin parallel units provide stable navigation power for thousand-ton heavy-load ships, balancing full-load cruising range and power reserve for heavy-load upstream sailing, resolving the industry bottleneck of insufficient power for large inland electric vessels.

II. Four Self-Developed Core Technologies Build Competitive Barriers Exclusive to Inland Waterway Power

1. Deep-Sea Grade Magnetic Coupling Sealed Direct Drive System, Long-Term Maintenance-Free Operation for Complex Inland Waters

Unlike traditional mechanical shaft seals prone to leakage and frequent wear, the Fuber 250kW pod adopts contactless magnetic coupling sealing technology derived from deep-sea equipment, completely eliminating water leakage risks of underwater dynamic seals and adapting to harsh water environments with abundant sediment, fluctuating water levels and dense shallow reefs in inland rivers. The built-in permanent magnet synchronous motor is rigidly directly connected to the propeller, removing intermediate transmission components such as gearboxes and long drive shafts, cutting the transmission chain by over 50% and greatly lowering energy loss. The overall propulsion efficiency exceeds 95%, reducing energy consumption by more than 20% compared with traditional diesel-powered vessels. Pure electric operation achieves zero exhaust and oil pollution, cutting NOx and particulate emissions by over 90%, fully meeting the highest environmental standards for green inland vessels.

The underwater pod relies on self-circulating water cooling from river current without extra heat dissipation equipment, operating stably within a wide temperature range of -40℃ to 80℃ for sustainable operation in high-temperature flood seasons and icy waterways in winter. The full pod features IP68 waterproof protection with optimized structures against sediment and aquatic grass entanglement, drastically cutting underwater maintenance frequency for ship owners and lowering annual maintenance costs by 60% compared with traditional power systems.

2. 360° Full-Vector Azimuth Steering, Boosting Berthing Efficiency by 30% in Narrow Waterways

Inland waterways feature winding narrow channels, dense ship locks and cramped port berths. Traditional vessels rely on rudders for steering, requiring frequent forward and reverse shifts to turn around and parallel berth, resulting in high operation thresholds, time waste and high risk of hull scratches. The Fuber 250kW pod supports 360° dead-angle-free full-range rotation, eliminating the need for separate rudders. It realizes in-situ U-turn, lateral translation and precise dynamic positioning by adjusting thrust vectors, with steering sensitivity far exceeding conventional propulsion devices.

In narrow waters such as Yangtze tributaries and canal ship locks, vessels equipped with this equipment cut the time for 180° in-situ turns by 30%. Parallel shore berthing can be completed without tugboats by a single operator. Matched with Fuber self-developed CANopen communication logic control system, the propeller is deeply linked with vessel power management and navigation control systems, supporting remote speed regulation and real-time fault feedback. It can adapt to intelligent unmanned shipping retrofitting for inland waterways, greatly reducing crew operation intensity and navigation accident risks.

3. Modular Integrated Layout, Releasing Core Cargo Space of Hulls

Traditional shaft-driven power systems require through-hull drive shafts, independent engine rooms and steering gear compartments, occupying nearly 15% of the vessel’s effective space and directly compressing cargo load and cabin area. The Fuber 250kW Azimuth Pod adopts a split integrated design of "above-water control module + underwater pod", with all power motors externally mounted under the hull. Only a small electric control console is retained inside the vessel, eliminating bulky engine room structures and increasing cargo hold volume by over 12% under the same hull size to directly lift single-voyage operating revenue for vessels.

The equipment installation fits retrofitting of existing inland vessel models without large-scale hull structural cutting, halving the refitting cycle for diesel-to-electric conversion of old ships. An optional lifting module is available to raise the pod during shallow water navigation to avoid reef grounding, perfectly adapting to variable water depth working conditions of shallow-draft inland waterways including the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Xiang River and Xijiang River.

4. Fully Self-Developed Domestic Technology, Low-Cost Localized Full-Cycle Service

All components of the complete equipment including propeller, permanent magnet motor, servo steering mechanism, drive controller and sealing assemblies are independently developed. CFD fluid simulation optimizes the hydrodynamic model of blade profiles to adapt to low-speed heavy-load flow characteristics of inland rivers. It breaks free from technical monopolies and overpriced spare parts of imported equipment, cutting the cost of complete machine procurement and maintenance spare parts by 40% compared with overseas pods of equivalent power.

Based on the R&D and production base in Tianjin, Fuber has laid out after-sales service outlets along national inland waterways. 48-hour on-site maintenance service is available across the Yangtze River, Grand Canal and Pearl River basins, with exclusive dedicated after-sales channels. We provide one-stop solutions for ship owners covering customized power systems, shore power energy storage matching and crew operation training, addressing the pain points of difficult after-sales service and long maintenance cycles for imported equipment.

III. Adaptable to Diverse Inland Application Scenarios, Delivering Real Value for Green Shipping

1. Inland Dry Bulk Carriers: Cost Reduction & Efficiency Improvement, Capitalizing on New Energy Lock Policy Dividends

For 500-2000 ton dry bulk and sandstone transport vessels on the Yangtze River and Grand Canal, twin 250kW pod propellers paired with container swappable lithium batteries deliver a 500km cruising range after a single 10-minute battery swap, covering mainstream trunk freight routes. Pure electric navigation eliminates fuel consumption, with operating costs only 1/3 of diesel vessels. Multiple regions have introduced policies granting free lock passage and priority navigation for new energy vessels. Electric cargo ships equipped with Fuber pods can fully enjoy policy dividends, saving hundreds of thousands of yuan annually on comprehensive expenses including fuel, maintenance and lock passage, while drastically cutting carbon emissions and helping shipping enterprises complete environmental compliance retrofits.

2. Riverside Sightseeing Ferries & Passenger Ships: Low Vibration & Quiet Operation, Safeguarding River Ecological Cultural Tourism

Inland tourist waterways impose strict requirements on noise and environmental protection. The Fuber 250kW pod operates with vibration noise below 55 decibels, superior to the quiet standard of high-end passenger cars. It navigates without oil pollution or exhaust emissions and will not disturb aquatic flora and fauna in rivers, fitting sightseeing boats and passenger ferries on cultural tourism waterways such as Taihu Lake, Xiang River and Grand Canal. The engine-room-free spacious hull can be expanded with viewing decks and leisure passenger cabins to enhance tourist experience, helping cities build zero-carbon sightseeing brands for waterborne cultural tourism.

3. Waterway Engineering & Maritime Official Vessels: High Reliability for Complex Operations

Waterway dredging, salvage and maritime law enforcement vessels require frequent start-stop cycles and precise low-speed positioning. The 250kW pod delivers stable low-speed high-torque output, and 360° vector thrust enables fixed-point stationary operation. The magnetic coupling sealing structure resists impact from underwater debris, operating around the clock under high-intensity working conditions including flood seasons, shallow waters and night law enforcement, making it the preferred power solution for electric retrofitting of official vessels for maritime and waterway management authorities nationwide.

IV. Riding the Dual Carbon Era: Fuber Drives Industrial Innovation of Inland Vessel Power

Currently, the Outline of Inland Waterway Shipping Development and Implementation Opinions on Accelerating Green Intelligent Development of Inland Vessels clearly propose establishing a green low-carbon inland waterway shipping system by 2035, ushering in an explosive growth window for the inland electric vessel market. The industry is in urgent need of localized, high-power and highly reliable domestic pod propulsion equipment to break overseas monopolies.

As a national high-tech enterprise, Tianjin Fuber has deeply engaged in electric vessel propulsion systems for years, iterating power products from low-power sightseeing boat drives to the 250kW and 300kW medium-to-large azimuth pod product matrix, forming a complete inland power solution covering the 5kW-400kW power range. The 250kW Azimuth Pod Propeller represents more than a single product breakthrough; it is a landmark achievement for domestic vessel power technology to benchmark international standards and realize curve overtaking, providing core equipment support for electric, intelligent and standardized upgrading of inland vessels.

In the future, Fuber will continuously optimize pod hydrodynamic design, upgrade fuel cell hybrid adaptation systems and improve integrated intelligent control solutions. Empowering the green transformation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Grand Canal Cultural Belt and Xijiang River Shipping Trunk Lines with self-developed core power technology, we will deploy more efficient, economical and eco-friendly domestic pod propellers across inland waterways nationwide, continuously leading the new trend of high-quality green development for inland waterway shipping.