Cummins Asia Pacific Magazine - Issue 1 2023

Dizzy Heights:
The latest Kilimanjaro powers into
With twin 4,000 hp Cummins QSK95 engines punching Kilimanjaro VIII to a top speed of 37 knots, sea trials
of the new Australian-built 53-metre passenger ferry were successfully completed and the vessel sent on its
way to Tanzania in Africa where it is now in service.
The eighth member of the Kilimanjaro
family – like all previous seven Cumminspowered
Kilimanjaro vessels – was built
by Richardson Devine Marine (RDM), the
world-renowned Australian shipbuilder
based in Hobart, Tasmania.
The delivery of Kilimanjaro VIII to Azam
Marine reaffirms the company’s standing
as Tanzania’s leading passenger
ferry service.
With a 650-passenger capacity, the
53-metre, 8,000 hp Kilimanjaro VIII is the
second Kilimanjaro to be propelled by twin
Cummins QSK95 engines.
The latest vessel is longer and wider than
the 2019-delivered Kilimanjaro VII and also
has greater passenger capacity, while the
95-litre, V16 Cummins engines have been
upped from 3,600 hp to 4,000 hp at 1700-
1800 rpm.
Performance targets for the sea trials were
a service speed of 34 knots and a top
speed of 37 knots.
Impressive performance
“Design and build quality are trademarks
of the Kilimanjaro family, and Kilimanjaro
VIII is another impressive step in the
evolution of the fast passenger ferry,”
said RDM co-founder Ron Devine. “The
Cummins QSK95 has met the high
expectations of the owners, delivering
impressive performance and reliability.”
The Kilimanjaro fleet, named after Africa’s
tallest mountain, operates between the
Tanzanian mainland city of Dar es Salaam
and the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian
Ocean, moving thousands of passengers
a day, many of them international tourists
who have discovered the magnificent
destination of Tanzania.
The evolution of Kilimanjaro for Azam
Marine has seen Cummins engines in
the form of the 38-litre (KTA38), 50-litre
(KTA50) and 60-litre (QSK60) used prior to
the emergence of the top-rated QSK95,
the most powerful diesel engine RDM has
fitted to a vessel. In fact, Kilimanjaro VII
was the first fast ferry in the world to be
specified with the 95-litre Cummins.
The Kilimanjaro family has been designed
by world-leading digital shipbuilder Incat
Crowther, an Australian company. The
first vessel, measuring 36.8 metres, was
launched in 2009 with a 400-passenger
capacity and powered by twin KTA38
engines, each producing 1050 hp and a
service speed of 22 knots.
RDM has won global recognition in the
marine industry with its Cummins-powered
Kilimanjaro vessels. Kilimanjaro VIII is ‘hull
78’ for RDM, a business established in
1989 by Toby Richardson and Ron Devine
who enthusiastically set about ruling the
waves with their aluminium passenger and
tourist ferries.
The two men met in 1987 when they
were key members of the Australian
Taskforce 87 syndicate that won the right
to defend the America’s Cup – one of
the oldest and best-known contests in
international sailing.
4 | CUMMINS ASIA PACIFIC MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1 2023