Kings of the Adriatic

Cummins Adriatic, a family-owned business based near Split in Croatia, is making waves as an emerging force in the European marine market. 

The company, which began life as ABP Diesel, has enjoyed 31 years of steady growth to the point where it now dominates the installation of marine engines and transmissions in its local territory.

Cummins Adriatic is responsible for the service, maintenance and repair of more than 1,500 vessels, including 50 large ships, and controls more than 90% of small passenger marine business in its territory. Among that cohort of large ships are the three super yachts it has helped Australian based luxury cruise ship operator Scenic Group put on the water, achieving a world first in the process.

Cummins Adriatic worked closely with Scenic on the design and power options for two of its ‘pocket cruise’ yachts, the Emerald Azzura and Emerald Sakara, and it has just celebrated the maiden voyage of the Emerald Kaia. Emerald super yachts are built in Vietnam and have been specially designed to provide unique access to ports and harbours that only small yachts can reach. They operate in the great rivers of Europe, including the Rhine, Main, Moselle, Danube, Rhône, Saône and Douro, as well as the Mekong and Irrawaddy in south-east Asia. 

With the launch of 110m Emerald Azzura in 2022, a project which had to overcome the massive hurdle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cummins Adriatic had the distinction of supplying the world’s first IMO III-compliant QSK60 marine engines for a commercial venture. 

Vlado Segvic, whose father Bruno was one of the founders of ABP Diesel, is Assistant General Manager at Cummins Adriatic and project leader on the Scenic Group business. He explained the relationship with Scenic came about after an informal meeting in 2019 with a senior designer, a fellow Croatian, who mentioned he was working on a Scenic project to be built in Vietnam. “We asked if we could quote on it, and to our great delight, Scenic took us on board. We ended up specifying IMO III twin QSK60-Ms for main propulsion; three Cummins QSK19-DM powered generator sets with Stamford alternators for auxiliary power; and a QSB7-powered emergency genset.” 

Cummins Adriatic engineers arranged all the relevant approvals with the Croatian Register of Shipping and had everything lined up for shipping to Vietnam when the world was rocked by the outbreak of Covid. 

“Inevitably, there was a lot of delay and a lot of frustration, but we were determined get the job done, so, along with one of my engineers, I went to Vietnam and followed all the isolation protocols so we could see it through in person,” said Vlado. “There were teething troubles, but over the space of four weeks, we fixed them all and the sea trials went superbly well.” 

The Emerald Azzura welcomed her first guests in March 2022, and she has been booked solid ever since. We have found a 10-day window this year when we can give her an overhaul in Split.” 
In August 2023, the Emerald Sakura — which has exactly the same mechanical set-up as the Emerald Azzura – was launched, and the maiden voyage of the ‘next-generation’ luxury yacht Emerald Kaia, from Limassol in Cyprus to Athens, was completed in April 2026. 

The Kaia can accommodate 128 passengers – 28 more than her sister ships. Vlado said: “We reached all the parameters ‘by the book’, and the Kaia achieved higher speeds than she was projected to, which is impressive given that she is 2,700 tonnes heavier than her sister ships,10m longer and 2m wider. Those twin QSK60-Ms really are a dream.”

Innovation at heart of partnership

It was in 1995, as the bitter war between Bosnia and Herzegovina was coming to its end, that ABP Diesel was formed. 

Three friends left their posts at one of the big shipyards in Croatia to set up as a Cummins dealer, starting a long and successful relationship with one of the world’s most respected marine brands. 

“The seeds were sown when my father was handed a list of about 200 people that he was told he had to fire,” said Vlado Segvic. “After 10 years working side by side with the guys on the list, he just couldn’t do it.” 

Ten years into the life of ABP and following a visit from Mike Green, former Group managing director of Cummins Engine Company for Central Europe, ABP was invited to become the official dealer for Cummins in Croatia. The same year, Bruno Segvic and his two partners started a sister company – Cummins Adriatic – to strengthen the Cummins brand in the expanded area. 

In September 2015, ABP Diesel was folded into Cummins Adriatic and was appointed as an authorised dealer for three other marine equipment specialists: D-I Industrial (Dong), Kobelt and FW Murphy. 

Vlado Segvic joined the business in 2009 and was largely responsible for the introduction of an own-label automation package. In the maritime world, automation refers to the use of control systems — like sensors, computers, and actuators — to manage and monitor engine room operations. Essentially, it is the brain and nervous system of the ship. 

The marine sector accounts for the bulk of Cummins’ Adriatic’s turnover but the business is active in the power generation and industrial markets. 

“Vlado and his team are great at developing innovative solutions that complement Cummins products,” said Ventsislava Shahanova, Cummins Marine Sales Manager. 

Cummins Adriatic believes in controlled growth and likes to take a long-term view of things. “We are quite happy to base our decisions on the longevity of the product rather than the immediate profit margin because we know we are creating an aftermarket that can sustain us,” said Vlado. 

There are 20 mechanical and electrical engineers based at Cummins Adriatic’s headquarters in Dugopolje, which is expanding into a new facility this year. “It’s good to see them actively reinvesting in workforce expansion, warehouse capacity, and technical capabilities” said Ventsislava. “They are a wonderful long-term, loyal partner.”

QSK60-M Redefines Superyacht Standard 

In the world of superyacht construction, the perfect engine is one that combines whisper-quiet performance with the raw, unyielding torque required to carve through offshore swells. 

The Cummins QSK60-M is a V-16, four-stroke powerhouse that delivers 2,000-2,700 hp, with a modular common-rail fuel system that optimises combustion and dramatically reduces noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). 

The QSK60-M is built on a legacy of high-hour commercial reliability. It features low-temperature aftercooling and robust iron pistons designed for continuous duty. 

For builders, the compact footprint and simplified plumbing make integration seamless, while the global Cummins support network ensures that remote doesn’t mean unreachable. 

Through advanced selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, Cummins enables builders like Scenic Group to meet the world’s most stringent emissions standards without sacrificing the engine’s transient response. 

Choosing the QSK60-M allows builders to promise their clients a vessel that is fast, quiet, and environmentally responsible