Shaftline conversion for Fraser Titan

The previous oil lubricated system had many issues; frequent maintenance of aft seals, water ingress contaminating the lubricating oil, and unplanned drydockings.

At current bearing wear rates after 6,100 hours of operation, RiverTough bearings are expected to last over 10 years (over 60,000 hours).

The Fraser Titan has three shaftlines with diameters of 165mm. The Thordon RiverTough propeller shaft bearings operate in combination with hard coated Nickel-Chrome-Boron shaft sleeves which provide superior wear life in highly abrasive wear conditions experienced on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Water is used as a lubricant (instead of oil) and is taken from the river, pumped through the bearings using a Thordon Water Quality Package and returned back to the river. Since no aft seal is required, there is no risk of damage by abrasives or rope. This results in lower in-service maintenance costs and the elimination of storage, sampling and disposal of oil from the stern tube.