Diesel distribution
Supacat Group companies, Supacat Marine & MDS Marine, have been appointed by Sweden based CIMCO Marine as the UK distributor for a brand new marine propulsion product, the OXE diesel outboard engine.
Under the agreement Hamble, UK based MDS Marine will provide sales, support, spares, maintenance and training in the UK, Ireland, The Channel Islands and Gibraltar for OXE, which will be available on the market in late 2015.
The 200hp OXE has the highest power density of any marine diesel outboard engine. It offers the power and reliability in extreme environments required by commercial and military operators, who are often restricted from using petrol engines on grounds of safety or availability. OXE Diesel incorporates a unique self-contained belt propulsor unit (S-BPU) that eliminates the traditional high maintenance bevel gears and transfer shafts by utilising the latest belt drive technology. Potential customers include the aquaculture, survey, emergency services and military sectors.
Jeremy Paul, General Manager of MDS Marine, said, “Acquiring the OXE distributorship establishes Supacat Group’s marine business as a provider of niche marine propulsion and drive systems and expands our share of the growing commercial market for diesel engines”.
“Supacat Group’s commitment to the marine sector forms a key part of our continuing diversification strategy from our core defence market into energy and marine through appropriate teaming agreements, distributorships, joint ventures or acquisitions”, said Nick Ames, Managing Director of Supacat Group.
Hamble based MDS Marine, part of Supacat Group’s growing marine business, provides a one-stop-shop in the 200-500hp inboard and outboard propulsion market for commercial, leisure and military users. It is the UK distributor for MarineDiesel Sweden’s VGT engines and for drive manufacturers, such as Konrad and MSA. Last year Supacat Group acquired Poole based BUKH Diesel UK Ltd and distributes BUKH A/S’ SOLAS approved engines and other products in the commercial, leisure and safety boat market.
Supacat Group’s marine and renewable energy business includes the revolutionary Supacat Multi-purpose Vessel 24 (SMV 24), which is operated by launch customer, James Fisher Marine Services. The Supacat Launch & Recovery System developed for the RNLI’s new Shannon Class Lifeboat provided the company’s springboard into marine engineering.
By Jake Frith
