Silver Ships takes pride in our longevity within the workboat industry and in partnerships with quality outfitting partners including Caterpillar Marine. Both Silver Ships and Caterpillar Marine put customer needs first and offer solutions to help operators feel more confident on the water.

About Caterpillar Marine

Caterpillar Marine provides power, propulsion and asset intelligence solutions for the marine industry. Caterpillar Marine manufactures clean, reliable power products including marine diesel and dual fuel propulsion engines, auxiliary engines, marine generator sets and complete fuel gas handling systems. With technology-enabled solutions, Caterpillar Marine keeps vessels running safely, efficiently and profitably.

Q&A with Holly Stevens, Caterpillar Marine Marketing Manager

1. What differentiates Caterpillar Marine from its competitors?

Caterpillar Marine has decades of experience designing, manufacturing, servicing and innovating. We pool all that knowledge to provide customers with the best solution at the best time, which is a tremendous advantage. We are also focused on developing innovative solutions for an industry hungry for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and improvements in costs of ownership.

2. How has Caterpillar Marine continued to stay competitive in the boat engine industry?

Caterpillar Marine has stayed competitive through relentless development. By providing a complete product line in power and emissions levels but also offering best-in-class power-to-weight ratios, Caterpillar Marine’s product line remains fresh and aligned with industry needs as the global landscape changes regarding power, the total cost of ownership and greenhouse gas reduction requirements.

3. What unique challenges are there in the boat inboard engine industry and how is Caterpillar Marine meeting/overcoming those challenges?

One of the unique challenges to the inboard engine industry lies with the plethora of vessel types, all with different operating profiles, fuel types and emissions standards. Caterpillar Marine overcomes these challenges by offering a comprehensive line of engines that not only operate across a full range of load factors and can run on several different fuels but also meet emissions requirements no matter where they are operating on the planet (regulated or non-regulated areas). This diversity allows Caterpillar Marine to serve all segments globally.

4. Why are Caterpillar Marine engines good options for the vessels that Silver Ships builds?

Caterpillar Marine has a legacy of product quality and durability for the whole range of engines used by Silver Ships. Caterpillar Marine not only boasts a complete product line but also provides dozens of flexible options within a single-engine platform to satisfy the true customer requirements rather than forcing options and costs that are not needed. The product line is also backed by a dealer network anywhere in the globe that ensures our products will be supported anywhere help is needed.

5. Silver Ships has utilized Caterpillar C18 and C7 engines for more than 15 years. Are there any specific details or specs would you like us to highlight about these products?

Caterpillar Marine continues to invest in product updates for the C7 to C18 engine range providing improved power density and engine option flexibility. These engines are currently running in a wide range of products from workboats to patrol boats and are the consistent “workhorses” of the industry, not just in the United States, but globally. This engine is also used extensively in other Caterpillar Marine products showing the versatility of the product offering across the gamut of machines that Caterpillar manufactures.

6. Do you have recommendations regarding mission-specific vessels and engine choices?

Caterpillar Marine recognizes that every owner has their specific success criteria and every vessel has certain unique features that set it apart from the rest of the fleet. Caterpillar Marine has worked with the government sector for decades to understand these unique requirements, including high performance and durability targets, and we have met them with unwavering success. Working with Caterpillar Marine and Silver Ships allows the end user to ensure the right fit and ensure mission-specific criteria are met.

Silver Ships partners with multiple engine vendors, as customers can choose their preferred engine during the design and build process. Caterpillar Marine is a long-time partner of Silver Ships and continues to provide premium marine products in the marine boating industry across the nation.