Steber International is a family-owned boat building business, operating from a 4-acre site in Taree on the Mid North Coast of NSW.

The business was founded in 1946 by Bruce and Beryl Steber, operating from their back yard in Brookvale on the northern beaches of Sydney.

From those humble beginnings building timber clinker hull boats for the local market, the company quickly grew so began looking for ways to improve their products. This led to fiberglass (FRP) construction in 1959, placing Steber International as one of the pioneers of this technique in Australia.

After relocating to larger premises in Taree in 1974, Steber International started to focus on larger vessels, phasing out the construction of small run abouts, instead producing pleasure and commercial vessels from 6 metres to 15.8 metres.

This drive to continually improve through research and development in the latest technologies has continued in their philosophy today, 75 years later. Testament to these strong foundations, is that Steber is still a truly family business, with Alan Steber at the helm as Managing Director, alongside brothers Colin and Graham.

Alan is proud of the company’s long history and the family’s contribution to the industry. “We are constantly developing our products and investing in training, with over 150 apprenticeships to date. Bruce and Beryl are still involved with the business as well, often popping in for lunch and looking at the projects we are working on.”

This philosophy fits well with Cummins too who has worked closely with Steber International over the years.

A partnership decades in the making

“We have been working with Cummins since the 70’s, starting with the renowned VT555 engine when it was producing around 320 hp. Things have changed a lot these days, where we can run up to 715 hp with tight environmental controls of EPA Tier 3, which is great to see.” Alan adds.

“The support that we receive from Cummins, especially in Newcastle, is second to none. Andrew Smith has been supporting us for the past 3 decades so knows what we need, especially for our defence projects.”

Steber International have been manufacturing ‘serve and protect’ vessels for various Federal and State government departments for over 40 years. Including Marine Rescue vessels, custom-built vessels for the Water Police, Australian Federal Police, Australian Customs, Fisheries, as well commercial vessels in Australia and abroad.

Dual Cummins QSB6.7 power five new defence science research vessels

The latest such project, has been to supply five new defence science research vessels for the Australian Department of Defence (DoD), supporting the country’s maritime research capabilities.

The vessels are 38 footers and are part of a project to support defence maritime research, operating from Sydney Harbour and Newcastle. Weighing in at 13.5 tonnes when fully loaded, including the latest Naval Equipment, they operate a fully self-contained system to ensure there is zero waste.
 

“We find that the Australian DoD normally specify Cummins power for their vessels, particularly for the high voltage capabilities, reliability and extensive support network.”
- Adam Steber, Steber International

The latest vessels are fitted with two Cummins QSB6.7 marine propulsion engines, specific for Commercial and Government applications. Each engine is a 6.7 litre, in-line 6 cylinder, 4-stroke diesel with Turbocharger, producing 355 hp @ 2,800 rpm.

The fuel system is a high-pressure common rail electronically controlled fuel system that provides constant high injection pressure regardless of engine speed or load condition. This provides low noise and vibration for quiet operation and faster load acceptance.

It also ensures they comply with U.S. EPA Tier 3 emissions regulations without the use of aftertreatment and are designed to meet the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) and SOLAS requirements.

To power all of the Australia DoD equipment onboard the vessels, there is also a single 7.0MDKBL Onan genset producing 7.0 kW @ 50Hz with 1500 rpm.

The digital QD (Quiet Diesel) Series models are also the first marine generator sets with self-monitoring capability and network communication.

Partners for years to come

“We have faced many challenges over the past 2 years with the bushfires, floods and now Covid restrictions, but using local suppliers in the region certainly helps, such as Cummins assisting us with the Engine room fit outs.”

Alan adds, “Being located in Taree has certainly assisted us with these issues, whilst we have also supported locally businesses such as the Hotels and cafes which is another factor the Government agencies appreciate with these types of projects.”

The company prides itself on quality and customer service with a diverse highly skilled workforce qualified in ship and boat building, engineering, electrical, and composite technology.

“Our Naval Architect and Marine Surveyor consult on each manufacturing project to ensure that each vessel meets or exceeds its design requirements and the client’s specific requirements.”

Looking forwards, Steber International already have several innovative research and development programs progressing to stay ahead of the industry.

“We have a prototype 22-foot Diesel / Electric boat we are testing currently and will look at Electric propulsion and then Hydrogen power too. There are also fully autonomous trials ongoing, so exciting to be working with key suppliers such as Cummins on these.”