"A ship has a closed electrical system and so current peaks may cause disturbances elsewhere in the system. Therefore when high-powered motors are introduced into hydraulic systems, it is important that the starting process is carefully controlled," says Mika Åback, MacGregor Technical Manager, Control Systems. "For a heavy-duty electric motor the starting current peak can be up to ten times its operating current at its nominal running output power, and so it is important to reduce this demand peak on the ship's electrical supply."