Anglian Diesels opts for Parker drives on Hong Kong ferry

The yachts are moored on swing moorings, attached to a buoy in the harbour, not moored alongside a jetty. The problem with this is that due to harsh operating conditions (inexperienced captains changing gear too quickly and crashing the manual gearboxes) accidents occur which lead to damaged yachts. When a manual transmission breaks, the water taxi ferry cannot easily be stopped. The captains rely on hitting other vessels to come to a standstill. Anglian Diesels' solution is a hydraulic system comprising a Yanmar 30hp variable speed engine driving a Parker F12/30 pump, boosted by a Parker BLA 4 160 unit fitted to a 15-litre reservoir. The control valve is a Parker F130 single motor spool (modified for cable control) with three position detent and 250 bar pressure release valve. This drives a Parker F12/60 motor using the motor's twin taper roller bearings to directly couple, via a flexible coupling, to the boat's propeller shaft. Anglian Diesels said it chose Parker's F12/30 pump/motor system because, unlike competitors' products, "it is a high efficiency piston unit and the twin taper roller bearings can take full propeller thrust in both directions." DP Pointers * Parker's hydraulic pumps and motors are at the heart of Anglian Diesels' marine hydraulic drive system for Hong Kong's Yanmar diesel powered harbour taxi ferries * Parker's F12/30 pump/motor was chosen for its high efficiency piston unit and because of the ability of the twin taper roller bearings to take full propeller thrust in both directions * The control valve is a Parker F130 single motor spool modified for cable control with three position detent and 250 bar pressure release valve