🔍 Key Concepts

• Location of the prime mover (main drive motor or engine) relative to the hull • Difference between a steerable thruster unit and a fixed propeller unit • Typical design of podded propulsion systems on modern cruise ships and offshore vessels

💭 Think About

• Think about where the main motor/engine usually sits on a ship using podded propulsion – is it inside the hull driving the pod electrically, or physically out in the water? • Ask yourself: can both azimuthing thrusters and podded propulsors rotate to steer the vessel, or is steering ability unique to just one of them? • Consider which design change (moving the prime mover or changing steering capability) is the real ‘fundamental’ difference between these two systems.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify whether both systems are steerable or only one is • Confirm where the prime mover is normally installed for each system: inside vs. outside the hull • Eliminate any answers that contradict how modern cruise ships and dynamic positioning vessels actually arrange their propulsion equipment