Nanni Launches NOVA Control Package with ZF Joystick Functions

Nanni has introduced NOVA, a new control package intended to modernise the helm interface around its marine engines. The system combines a control lever and joystick developed with ZF, position and drift-management functions, and a 4.3-inch SI-5 digital dashboard that can also support selected retrofit applications.

A new helm interface

NOVA brings the principal propulsion controls into a coordinated package rather than treating the lever, joystick and engine display as unrelated components. Nanni says the control lever and joystick have been developed with ZF, a long-established supplier of marine transmissions and control systems.

The objective is to simplify the driver's interaction with propulsion while retaining the feedback needed for docking and low-speed manoeuvring. On larger yachts, integration quality is especially important because engines, gearboxes, thrusters and monitoring systems may come from several different manufacturers.

iAnchor and iDrift functions

The joystick package includes ZF iAnchor, which is designed to maintain vessel position and heading automatically within the limits of the installed propulsion system. Nanni also identifies iDrift, a function intended to let the operator control drift speed and direction during low-speed operations.

These features do not remove the need for an attentive bridge team, because wind, current, traffic and system limits still have to be monitored continuously. Their value lies in reducing workload during particular manoeuvres when the propulsion arrangement and installation have been correctly commissioned.

SI-5 digital dashboard

NOVA includes the SI-5, a 4.3-inch digital display that provides engine information in a compact format at the helm. The dashboard is intended to present operating data clearly without demanding the space of a larger multifunction display or a fully customised bridge-monitoring screen.

Nanni also highlights an IP67 level of protection for the controls, reflecting the exposure expected around marine helm stations. Environmental protection remains only one part of installation quality, alongside wiring, network design, mounting position and access for future maintenance.

New builds and retrofit potential

The company says NOVA can be fitted across a range of Nanni applications and can also be adapted to many existing engines. That retrofit potential makes the package relevant to refit projects where owners want to update helm controls without replacing otherwise serviceable propulsion machinery.

For superyacht engineering teams, the significance is less about one dashboard than about compatibility between propulsion and human-machine interfaces. Superyacht Guide records NOVA as a current marine-systems product development rather than a yacht-specific installation announcement.

Official sources: nannienergy.com.