SOUTH Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) claims its new ‘Hi-FIN' propeller device that is attached at the hub of the propeller and is suitable for installation on containerships will lower bunker fuel consumption by up to 2.5 per cent compared with the same type of vessels without the attachment.

Savings for a typical 8,600-TEU containership would translate to about US$750,000 per year, according to HHI.

The shipbuilder said that orders for propeller attachment have been placed by ship owners for over 30 vessels to date, reported Vancouver's Ship and Bunker.

To achieve the fuel savings, the device works by generating countering swirls that offset the swirls generated by the propeller, thus improving propulsion efficiency.

The performance claim follows a year-long trial of the device installed on a 162,000 cubic metre capacity LNG carrier ordered from Maran Gas.