Proteum has recently supplied three 150HP OXE Diesel outboard engines to power a new workboat for operations on the River Thames. The UK marine distributor has supplied the engines to Landing Craft UK (LCUK), safety and workboat specialists, who built the landing craft for GPSM DiveCo Ltd.
A diesel outboard was required on safety grounds as the landing craft will work alongside Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) jetties and also because the supply of petrol on the Thames is becoming increasingly limited. The OXE Diesel is the first approved high performance diesel outboard and was selected as the best in class.
Tony Kortens, MD of Landing Craft UK Ltd, said, “The OXE is faultless; the smoothness; power; and thrust of the engines are amazing. We can achieve speeds of 20 knots in a boat that weighs in excess of ten tonnes. The OXE’s excellent fuel economy shows with all three engines running to their maximum we have a fuel burn of 90 litres per hour which is phenomenal”.
Jeremy Paul, General Manager of Proteum, said, “Commercial operators have been wanting a high performance diesel outboard for a very long time to benefit from diesel’s lower maintenance and longer service life. OXE has solved this need, proved its reliability and is ready to go!”
In addition to workboats, the OXE diesel is suitable for coastal fishing, aquaculture, ferry operations, survey work, emergency services and other security and defence related operations.
Diesel has a higher working efficiency than petrol and OXE uses up to 40% less fuel than a modern 150HP 4-Stroke Outboard. The OXE also has an extended range, significantly increasing operational time between refuelling.
