Cummins Rebuild Centre Delivers for Shannon Ferries
Cummins’ recently opened European Master Rebuild Centre (MRC) in Krakow, Poland is helping a key marine customer, Shannon Ferries maintain its reliable, year-round service. It has remanufactured its first marine engine, the KTA19 for the Shannon Breeze.
Shannon Ferry Group limited is the operator of the longest domestic ferry service in Ireland. Its two roll-n roll-off ferries, the MV Shannon Dolphin and the MV Shannon Breeze, run between Killimer and Tarbert, connecting the counties of Clare and Kerry and forming part of the Wild Atlantic Way tourist route along the west coast of Ireland. Each of the ferries are powered by four Cummins marine engines – KTA19s on the Shannon Breeze and QSM11s on the Shannon Dolphin.
Pat Moloney, Operations Manager for Shannon Ferries, said: “Our ferries run every day except Christmas Day and are back and forth across the Shannon up to 48 times a day in peak season. They carry around 600,000 people per year on just over 12,000 trips, so they work hard. I’ve been with the business for over 20 years and have been impressed not just with the reliability of our Cummins engines but by their service too.”
The design of the Shannon Breeze commercial ferry allows for access to the vessel’s KTA19 engine, which was dispatched to Krakow for its high-quality factory remanufacture, rather than being rebuilt in-situ. Whilst this engine was in transition and work began, the ferry’s replacement engine was fitted in its place back at the Shannon base in Killimer, to ensure services continued operating without interruption.
Following the visit to the Krakow rebuild centre, Moloney added, “I was really impressed by the set-up and all the technology, and I could see how, with a planned maintenance approach, it could work financially for operators.”
The IMO Tier 1 certified Cummins KTA19 has power ratings of 500-700hp (372-521 kW). The engine is used for commercial marine operations and recreational boating applications around the world. The RCD 2 certified Cummins QSM11 services similar markets and has a power output of 300-714hp (223-533kW) with a peak torque of 1750lb-ft.
Pat Deegan, Cummins Country Leader for Ireland, said: “Our aftermarket team supports commercial vessels all over the island of Ireland. We understand the importance of this transport link on the west coast for local communities and the growing number of tourists who want to experience the majesty of the Wild Atlantic Way.”
“Whenever we need a Cummins engineer out, they are on site next day. They are incredibly responsive,” concluded Maloney.