Kongsberg Launches Azipull 70 Thruster for Yachts and Support Vessels

Kongsberg Maritime has introduced the Azipull 70, the smallest Azipull thruster the company has developed and the first version aimed specifically at yachts and yacht-support vessels. The unit is being presented during the Monaco Yacht Show 2026 as Kongsberg brings a propulsion architecture proven on larger commercial vessels into a more compact yacht installation.

The design is intended to combine manoeuvrability and efficient propulsion with the comfort requirements of luxury yachts. Kongsberg says the smaller package responds to shipyards asking for easier integration, lower onboard noise and vibration, and compatibility with the growing range of electric and hybrid machinery arrangements.

A smaller package brings Azipull into tighter machinery spaces

Azipull technology has previously been used on larger vessels including offshore ships, ferries and specialised craft. Reducing the physical package gives yacht designers more freedom in machinery spaces where propulsion equipment competes directly with tankage, crew areas, tender storage and guest volume.

Kongsberg says the Azipull 70 has been shaped to make installation easier where available space is limited. The company is also highlighting reduced noise and vibration, two measures that can be especially important on yachts where guest cabins, beach clubs or lounges may sit close to propulsion equipment.

The same unit can serve several propulsion strategies

The new thruster can be supplied for electric, hybrid or conventional propulsion systems, allowing yards to use the same basic product family across different project philosophies. That flexibility could be useful for semi-custom platforms where one owner selects a conventional machinery package while another wants a higher degree of electrification.

The launch also reflects a wider shift in the yacht market toward propulsion systems being assessed as part of the complete energy architecture rather than as an isolated mechanical component. Battery capacity, generators, hotel loads, control systems and propulsion increasingly have to be designed together if builders want to improve efficiency without compromising range or comfort.

Yacht adoption will determine the real-world result

Kongsberg says interest from European yacht yards helped drive development of the smaller model and that early feedback has been positive. The important next step will be confirmed project selections, because installed performance will show how the compact Azipull behaves in the noise, manoeuvring and efficiency conditions that yacht owners actually experience.

By launching the system in Monaco, Kongsberg is putting the technology directly in front of builders, designers, technical managers and owners during the industry’s busiest large-yacht gathering. If yards adopt it, the Azipull 70 could extend podded and azimuthing propulsion choices into projects that previously lacked the space or scale for larger units.