It’s the world’s largest coral reef system and is made up of 2,900 individual reefs that spread over 348,700km2. To get an idea of the scale of the Great Barrier Reef, it covers an area of a similar size as Italy, Germany or Japan.
More than 1,500 species of fish call the Great Barrier Reef home and turtles and birds visit the reef to breed. The reef is also a popular destination for around two million tourists each year.
The reef is also a major contributor to Queensland’s economy – generating around $6 billion a year and creating thousands of jobs, many of them in the tourism industry.
Tourist vessels transporting visitors to and from the Great Barrier Reef do brisk business and they rely on an efficient supply of equipment to ensure their businesses stay afloat. Engine Supplies & Services (ESS) is a popular parts supplier for many fleet owners in Queensland.
Recently ESS was asked to provide a generator that will be a complete power supply for a pontoon that accommodates tourists visiting the Great Barrier Reef. Pontoons are sometimes described as floating playgrounds and provide a platform from which people can scuba dive, snorkel, see the marine life and corals close up, soak up the sun on the sundeck or enjoy a cool drink.
“We supply fleet owners with a whole host of equipment including engine spare parts, engines and complete gensets. This latest operator requested our support to replace an existing genset that hadn’t stood the test of time in the marine environment,” says ESS owner, Steve Codd.
ESS recommended and supplied the DEUTZ DPS 21 DG, which is now afloat on the pontoon and ensuring tourists can fully enjoy their experience out on the Great Barrier Reef.
The DEUTZ DPS 21 DG features a heavy duty base frame, bunded base fuel tank, automatic mains fail and remote start control panel, and engine monitoring and shutdown system. It can be a prime electricity source in remote locations, such as the Great Barrier Reef, or serve as back-up or emergency power.
“The DEUTZ DPS 21 genset was the preferred option that we recommended due to the reliability that comes with the DEUTZ name,” says Steve.
ESS has a long history with DEUTZ. Steve worked for DEUTZ in the UK for six years before moving to Australia and starting the aftersales/service division for DEUTZ water-cooled engines. In 2006, he founded Engine Supplies & Services. Steve’s sons, Craig and Chris, have also worked with DEUTZ.
Since its launch, ESS has built a strong reputation in the marine and industrial sector and supplies to leading fleet owners across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Steve and his team have worked hard to build an international presence and are regular attendees at industry showcases, such as the SMM exhibition which is the marine world’s premier event.
This summer, many tourists who made the trip to Queensland and who soaked up the sun and the sights afloat on the Great Barrier Reef would have been totally unaware of the workhorse generator that was powering their experience.
“We chose DEUTZ products because of our long association with the company and because of our intimate knowledge of the history and quality of the equipment that DEUTZ supplies,” says Steve.
“Operating in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef, we knew that performance and reliability were critical. By using the DEUTZ genset we were certain that we were supplying our customer with a product that was built to the highest standard and built to last.”
