Thrustmaster Takes Majority Stake In Blue Thruster

Also Buys DP Product From Rolls Royce

Thrustmaster Holdings B.V., affiliated with U.S.-based Thrustmaster of Texas Inc., has acquired a 58.5 percent stake in Blue Thruster, a Dutch-based maritime innovations company.

With this acquisition, Thrustmaster, a global supplier of thrusters, gains access to two innovative patents developed by Blue Thruster. These patents relate to the V-pod concept, which configures an azimuth thruster with an integrated permanent magnet motor. 

Thrustmaster said this acquisition further expands its product portfolio and its global footprint. Simultaneously, Thrustmaster has engaged into a cooperation with AAApropulsion B.V., an independent supplier of bow thrusters that has a license agreement with Blue Thruster and also markets and supplies the V-pods.

In return, Blue Thruster said it has attracted a strong partnership and the opportunity to further develop innovations in the coming years.

For more than 30 years, Thrustmaster has been designing and manufacturing high-quality marine propulsion equipment for vessels of all types, serving customers all over the world.

Blue Thruster B.V. was established in 2012 and is based in the Netherlands. The company said it aims to develop maritime innovations and make them production-ready.

 Rolls-Royce Agreement

In addition to acquiring a majority stake in Blue Thruster, Thrustmaster of Texas Inc. recently signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine to purchase the product Dynamic Positioning (DP).

The agreement means that Thrustmaster of Texas now takes over the intellectual property rights required to produce and sell the DP product. Rolls-Royce said that it will also pass on necessary documentation and knowledge of the DP product. The agreement does not involve transfer of personnel.

Joe Bekker, president of Thrustmaster of Texas Inc., said that the company was “excited to now have direct access to this technology,” and noted how it complemented the existing Thrustmaster product line.

Thrustmaster is located in Houston, Texas, where it has access to the largest thruster manufacturing factory in the world, with complete fabrication, machining, assembly and testing carried out at the facility. All thrusters are designed in-house by an engineering department for mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and electronic design.