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Manoeuvering thrusters (bow thrusters and stern thrusters) are transversal propulsion devices built into or mounted to either the bow or stern (front or back, respectively) of a ship or boat to make it more manoeuvrable. Bow thrusters make docking easier, since they allow the captain to turn the vessel to port or starboard side, without using the main propulsion mechanism which requires some forward motion for turning;[1] The effectiveness of a thruster is curtailed by any forward motion due to the Coandă effect.[2] A stern thruster is of the same principle, fitted at the stern. Sufficiently large vessels often have multiple bow thrusters and stern thrusters.
- ^ Osmotech UK on Uses and advantages of bow thrusters Archived July 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Faltinsen, O. (Sep 23, 1993). Sea Loads on Ships and Offshore Structures. Cambridge University Press. p. 272. ISBN 9780521458702.