Monks of Saint Honorat sing the praises of Cummins’

Ann-Kristin de Verdier, Executive Managing Director of Cummins Distribution Business in Europe, was the honoured guest on a special visit to a holy island off the coast of Cannes in the south of France.

Cruising to Saint Honorat aboard a new Cummins-powered ferry, Ann-Kristin enjoyed lunch and a guided tour of the island’s world-famous abbey, home to a community of Cistercian monks.

“I was delighted to visit Saint Honorat and celebrate the launch of a vessel which plays such a vital role in sustaining the local community,” said Ann-Kristin, who had earlier visited the Cannes international boat show.

“It was a very windy day, and the ferry ride was quite an adventure. I am extremely proud of the way our experienced Cummins France Marine and Aftermarket teams worked with our trusted local dealer CUMAS to deliver this important project.”

For the past 18 years, the combination of reliable Cummins power solutions and responsive local service and maintenance support has underpinned the ferry operation that connects Saint Honorat with Cannes and the French Riviera.

Two ferries – The Saint-Siffrein and Saint-Honorat III – each powered by twin Cummins QSM11-450hp engines, have enabled the inhabitants, workers and visitors to commute to the tiny island, which is only 1500m long and 400m wide. The similarly powered Saint-Maxime serves as a supply vessel.

Saint-Honorat III was repurposed to Atlantic coast operations and a completely new ferry was commissioned in June 2024: The Saint Honorat IV. 

The new vessel is powered by two Cummins X15-M engines. The X15, rated 630hp at 2100rpm, has proven its performance, endurance and reliability over many years in other power segments and can meet the most demanding marine applications. 

Cummins’ patented XPI fuel system installed on the X15 ensures a quick transient response and an unparalleled fuel economy at cruise speeds while meeting the most stringent emissions regulations and achieving low maintenance costs. 

The crossing from Cannes Bay to Saint Honorat takes about 20 minutes, and the service, which runs between 8am and 6.30pm seven days a week, carries more than 95,000 passengers a year. Tourists flock to see the Lérins Abbey and the famous fortified monastery tower, built during the 11th Century. 

The Priest of the Abbey conducted a ‘baptism’ service for the Saint-Honorat IV and described the boat as a symbol of the intelligence and ingenuity of man. 

Recognising ferry operator Planaria’s wish for its boats to be as environmentally-friendly as possible, the six Cummins engines and three on-board Cummins Onan generator-sets are running on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

The entire fleet will run on HVO once the Saint-Maxime’s QSM11s and genset are replaced by local authorised Cummins dealer CUMAS. 

“The cost of the HVO is slightly more than diesel but the engines themselves do not require any additional maintenance,” said Jean-Francois Ropart, Managing Director of CUMAS. 

“We check the oil every 200 hours instead of the normal 250 hours to see if it needs replacing but that’s about it. Planaria believes the benefits to the environment are worth the switchover.” 

The maximum speed of the SaintHonorat IV is 19 knots but to comply with local regulations it is limited to no more than 12 knots when operating in the busy Bay of Cannes area. 

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This article is part of the 2025 Edition Cummins Europe Magazine, to read more European articles click here: 

Cummins Europe Magazine