Once upon a time there was a propeller who dreamed of dancing like a whale. Then he met the engineers of ABB and was born Dynafin, the biomimetic revolution that is changing the face of marine propulsion. This is the story of an innovation that came to life from an intuition as simple as it was brilliant: to navigate more efficiently and sustainably, you just need to learn from the teachers of the sea.
An underwater waltz inspired by nature
Dynafin is not a simple propeller, but an ode to the elegance and efficiency of whales. The device consists of a rotating disk equipped with five vertical blades, which move in perfect harmony like a ballerina on pointe.
The secret of his light step on the environment lies precisely in this dance biomimetics: by imitating the undulating movement of a whale's tail, Dynafin optimizes propulsion while reducing consumption, emissions and noise.
Human ingenuity, natural wisdom
Behind this innovation lies years of research and development by the ABB team. The real stroke of genius was knowing how to grasp "knowledge" perfected by millions of years of evolution.
The advantages? They are multiple. Thanks to its 85% efficiency, Dynafin promises to reduce energy consumption by 22% compared to a traditional propeller. But it's not just a question of savings: this "whale-friendly" propeller also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and underwater noise pollution, helping to preserve marine ecosystems.
A whale tail propeller, and a greener future for shipping
Dynafin represents a giant step towards more sustainable navigation. This whale propeller is perfect for a wide range of vessels, from cruise ships to luxury yachts, ferries and offshore wind farm service vessels. With a power ranging from 1 to 4 MW, Dynafin adapts to the needs of every shipowner who cares about the environment.
And it's not just a question of new construction: ABB is already working to make this technology installable on existing ships too, paving the way for large-scale green retrofitting.
I can already imagine a tomorrow in which every ship will be a dancer as graceful as a whale, and every route a waltz step towards a bluer ocean.
