Cummins Launches First IMO 3 Engine

Cummins Inc. announced that its new International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier 3-certified QSK60 engine package, which the company said offers cleaner emissions and an improved warranty, is now available for a wide range of marine applications, including commercial workboats and luxury yachts.

The QSK60, with a modular common rail fuel system (MCRS), was introduced to the marine market in 2008. While the engine architecture has not changed, the company has added selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to meet the new emissions requirements without impacting fuel economy, Cummins said.

Cummins has extensive experience with SCR technology since 2006 and has more than 1 million units in the field. To minimize total cost of ownership (TCO) for the operator, Cummins optimized diesel exhaust fluid consumption and aligned maintenance intervals of the aftertreatment with engine maintenance intervals for minimal planned downtime. Flexible installation arrangements also contribute to a decreased total cost of ownership, by reducing installation costs with eight different configurations to match almost any customer need, the company said.

“Cummins engineers have done significant testing of this system to ensure the same dependability, quality and reliability customers have come to expect from our brand,” explained Jim Schacht, executive director, Cummins Global Marine Business. “With more than 10 years of experience applying SCR to Cummins engines in our on-highway and industrial segments, vessel operators can rest assured they have a great product powering their ship.”

The SCR system is fully serviceable, meaning the catalysts can be removed without the need for new or special tools and easily replaced when needed, Cummins said. Catalyst life is expected to match the engine life to overhaul in an effort to minimize downtime. In addition to the serviceability of the SCR system, the Vanadia-based catalyst is capable of tolerating up to 5000 ppm sulfur fuel, which allows customers to continue to use the same quality fuel they have always used with Cummins products.

Cummins said it is offering a pre-certified system — what is commonly referred to as Scheme A approach — to remove additional certification complexity from the equation for the shipyard. The Scheme A approach means Cummins has worked directly with an IMO-recognized agency to perform witness and emissions tests before the system arrives at the shipyard. The design is proven in the test cell to meet the emissions requirements and the various design configurations are all pre-approved.

Since the work has been done up front, there are no additional emissions tests required once the construction is complete. This approach also ensures the engine and aftertreatment system work together and last over the life of the vessel. Under the Scheme A approach, the order process is unchanged for the customer using a local Cummins distributor as a single point of contact for the IMO Tier 3 system.

In addition, the base warranty for marine engines from 19 to 60 L in a heavy-duty or medium continuous-duty rating has been extended 1000 hours beyond the previous term, while intermittent-duty coverage for the same engine range has extended 1500 additional hours. Cummins continues to offer optional Encompass coverage, which can provide an additional three years/10,000 hours of coverage to the engine.

“The QSK60, with its proven track record in the marine market, now has cleaner emissions, extended warranty coverage and the same world class service and support.” Schacht continued, “The QSK60 is the first Cummins engine platform to receive the IMO 3 certification but other engines will follow in the near future using similar SCR configurations.”