FAILS-OPS-FAIL-SAFE
The overall safety approach is double fail-safe allowing ‘soft’ degradation of essential functions. This failure tolerance and reliability approach is mimicked from the US space shuttle: a so-called Fail-Ops-Fail-Safe design philosophy which results for the Ecolution in a fully redundant port and starboard power, drive, navigation and control system.
Each of these, so-called strings, consists of one rudder, an autopilot, a propeller, an electromotor/generator, one gearbox-transmission, one diesel motor, inverters for 230VAC and a huge battery bank. All handlings including the sails have a manual backup. Redundancy of rigging is achieved by increased rudder authority (two large efficient blades) and allows sailing even with one mast operational (either front or rear).
Human machine interface (HMI)
An energy management system will advice sail settings and course and will give power use and storage requirement predictions. Mooring to a quay is facilitated by position and direction control, using two propellers, two rudders and a bow thruster. The navigation system is fully redundant and integrated with autopilot and radar.
Piloting is foreseen in the deckhouse as well as exterior.
Steel!
The steel hull makes one feel safe. Everywhere in the world steel is well known and nowadays it is carefree for years and years with the modern conserving paint systems.
The hull is Lloyds certified.
