Major contract for Tognum from US Coast Guard

• Two engines for each of 180 high-speed vessels
• Contract option for up to 250 boats
• Total volume between 30 and 40 million US dollars

Friedrichshafen/Germany – Tognum AG (FSE: TGM / ISIN DE000A0N4P43) has won a major contract from the US Coast Guard: US subsidiary, MTU Detroit Diesel Inc. is to supply two S60 engines for each of 180 new, high-speed multi-purpose vessels. The customer also holds an option to increase the overall volume of the order to up to 250 vessels. Depending on option take-up, the total value of the contract is between 30 and 40 million US dollars.

Essential features for the US Coast Guard contract were that the mtu engines meet the stringent American EPA Tier 2 exhaust specifications and, typically for Tognum, that the overall concept is performance-optimized for the customer. Delivering a joint total of 1650 bhp (1215 kW), the twin high-performance mtu engines can accelerate the 15-meter boats to over 42 knots. The vessels will be built between 2008 and 2013 at the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin and the Kvichak Marine shipyard in Washington State.

This latest contract for the Tognum Group in North America means the continuance of a long history of success which has seen a whole range of different high-speed vessels and patrol boats powered by mtu engines. These include the US Motor Lifeboat (MLB), Coastal Patrol Boat (CPB) and National Security Cutter (NSC) programs. According to Tognum’s own research, the group leads the market in engines for applications in the mega-yacht, fast ferry, frigate and patrol boat sectors.

The new RBMs (Response Boat Medium) will replace their 13-meter UTB (Utility Boat) predecessors which have been in service since 1973. Their high-power engines and cutting-edge equipment means that the new vessels will perform a broader range of duties than the previous generation. Whilst the older vessels primarily fulfill a search-and-rescue role, the new RBMs will enable the Coast Guard to carry out its additional policing duties.

The Detroit-built S60 engines are high-performance, 6-cylinder in-line units which can deliver between 261kW (workboats) and 615kW (high-speed vessels). Apart from the marine sector, S60 engines are also widely used in industrial, mining, oil & gas and power generation applications.