A Sydney base pump manufacturer and defence contractor, Aussie Pumps, has won a contract, to supply 3-inch engine drive salvage pumps to the South Korean Navy. The pumps are unique and have application not only in South Korea, but in warships and support vessels throughout the world.
“The original requirement was for a lightweight portable, diesel-drive salvage pump, capable of handling saltwater,” said the company’s chief engineer, John Hales. “We’d already developed high-pressure firefighting pumps for seawater applications in the form of both the Seamaster and Sea Skipper diesel drive machines.” Those pumps are already in use by the Royal Australian Navy, the Indian, French, Sri Lankan and Bangladesh navies as well.
“The Korean project was a challenge for us because the specification was different to anything that the Royal Australian Navy had asked us for in the past,” Hales said. “We found that we could configure a self-priming salvage pump that would deliver in excess of 1,000 litres per minute and handle solids in suspension where required. The solid handling issue was a big one, as well as the ability to self-prime through a vertical lift of seven metres or more,” Hales said.
The pumps are powered by Yanmar air-cooled 10hp diesel engines with electric start and/recoil backup. The complete pumps are fitted into a stainless steel frame with an 18-litre, 10-hour fuel tank. The pumps, which were Bureau Veritas-certified before shipment to South Korea, have recently passed testing at a Korean Navy base. The unique specification is already attracting interest from other navies around the world. “It’s a great thing for an Australian company to be innovative and open-minded enough to develop products quickly and efficiently. At the same time, we take care to listen to the customer to really understand exactly what the requirements are. There is no doubt the Australian Navy will find similar applications on barges, patrol boats, workboats and maybe even in some larger vessels as well,” Hales said.
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