Mercury and Metal Shark to power cutter boats with diesels

Written by Nick Blenkey
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Mercury Marine 2.O L diesel

MAY 26, 2015 — Fond du Lac, WI, headquartered Mercury Marine, the world’s leading manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines, has entered an agreement with Metal Shark Aluminum Boats to power 16 U.S. Coast Guard boats with Mercury diesel engines.

The partnership is the first of its kind in the U.S. for Mercury Marine, which says the program provides the company an opportunity to show that its products fulfill additional market needs in a premium market such as the USCG.

“Mercury Marine’s 2.0 diesel engines are ideal for smaller vessels such as the Coast Guard Cutter Boat ATON Medium,” said Greg Lambrecht, Metal Shark vice president. “These engines are compact, lightweight, and deliver a superb power to weight ratio for use in a wide range of small vessel applications.”

The USCG’s CB-ATON-M is based on Metal Shark’s 18 ft Relentless, a welded aluminum center console vessel that features a urethane-sheathed foam collar for impact protection. The CB-ATON-Ms are carried aboard the USCG’s coastal buoy tender fleet for at-sea and inshore operations or in port.

“Our marine customers are taking notice of the diesel advantage when it comes to performance and fuel economy,” said Reinhard Burk, Mercury Marine Senior director of diesel & propulsion strategies. “A commercial application with a high profile customer such as USCG proves to the marketplace that our diesel offerings are in high demand.”

Mercury Marine and Metal Shark have a long relationship. Metal Shark supplied the USCG with a 16 boat training fleet based on its 38 Defiant pilothouse model, each equipped with twin Mercury Marine 300 hp Verado outboards. Mercury also supplies outboard power for the High Speed Maneuverable Surface Target (HSMST) vessels Metal Shark builds for the U.S. Navy under a 350-boat contract awarded in late 2013.

Mercury outboards are also the choice of many of Metal Shark’s state and local law enforcement and commercial customers.

“We have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Metal Shark on the outboard side and look to do the same with our diesel offerings,” said Burk. “The performance of our lightweight, fuel efficient diesel engine backed by the long standing support of Mercury Marine is a perfect match for Metal Shark’s rugged offshore patrol vessels performed by government programs across the country.”

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