Colfax has announced that leading Italian ferry operator, Moby Lines, has purchased 14 of its Optiline magnetic coupling pumps. They will be used for heavy oil transfer in the engine rooms of a number of Moby Lines’ ferries on its routes to and from the Italian mainland to the islands of the Upper Tirrenian Sea. The pumps were sold through Colfax’s Italian distributor, Alfa Laval.

Luigi Savarese, Fleet Manager, Moby Lines, said: “Our primary aim is to provide the most dependable and consistent service to our passengers and this deal with Colfax for magnetic coupling pumps gives us the confidence to reduce maintenance downtime and costs at the same time as maintaining the highest levels of engine room safety.”

Colfax delivered the pumps, which were purchased to replace a previous generation of leaking pumps, in May 2012. They are effectively a drop-in replacement for current IMO AB three-screw pumps, which ensures that the cost of piping and re-structuring is kept to a minimum.

The pumps are the ideal solution for heavy fuel oil applications, and have been designed to maintain high performance at extreme temperatures. They are guaranteed for five years, have five-year service intervals and are fully compliant with the SOLAS guidelines and directives.

By utilising a fully sealed pump solution, Moby Lines will be able to reduce vessel downtime and spare parts, leading to a significant cost of ownership benefit over the life of each pump.

Renato Leonardi, Area Sales Manager for Colfax in Italy, stated: “We are delighted that Moby Lines has chosen Colfax to replace 14 of its transfer pumps with our magnetic coupling pumps. Following an in-depth evaluation, Moby Lines turned to Colfax as they recognized the benefits of a completely sealed pumping chamber these pumps cannot leak, which increases engine room safety and reduces maintenance.

“We are confident that Moby Lines will gain clear reliability and costs advantages over other market offerings – with a return-on-investment within three to four years.”