The azimuth thruster or rudder propeller is designed for the propulsion of floating marine applications such as inland waterway vessels, sea going vessels, yachts and barges. The purpose of the thruster system is to create thrust for propulsion in 360° direction to support manoeuvering operations for navigation and/or position keeping.
The installation into the vessel is generally done with a well mounted connection. Therefore this type is also called well mounted azimuth thruster.