Case Study: SAPMER boosts tuna quality and fishing efficiency with Cummins marine power systems

Sashimi Seiner from SEAS

SAPMER, a French tuna fishing company, needed a highly reliable propulsion and power system for its new 90-meter diesel-electric tuna seiner, Belle Isle, to support long-range fishing operations, ultra-cold fish handling, and high-end sashimi-grade tuna quality. The vessel’s complex demands included powering freezer systems, hydraulics, sonar, and a 1,000-HP power skiff, making fuel efficiency, redundancy, and dependable electrical generation critical.

Cummins supplied the marine power solution, including four KTA50-DM diesel engines each rated at 1,240 kW to drive the ship’s generator sets. The system enabled efficient management of propulsion and onboard electrical loads, supporting vessel speeds up to 15.5 knots and helping SAPMER preserve catch quality through rapid freezing and cold-chain handling; while the case study does not give a numeric financial result, it highlights improved operational capability, reliability, and value-added tuna production.

SAPMER

Yannick Lauri

Chief Executive Officer