about us

The World Marine Power Directory was first published in 1992 in paper format. It was a compilation of all known marine engines in current production at that time up to 5000 hp / 3750 kW, in subsequent editions the upper limit expanded to 10,000 hp ~7,500 kW. The Directory responded to the need for a single independent source of marine engine information for both public and trade, presenting the information in a standardised format easing the task of comparing and contrasting similar engines.

Since then, the database powering the Directory has been enhanced and expanded to not only cover larger power engines but also older ones, many of which were built by companies that no longer exist  however are still in service. Their data is of considerable value if repowering.

It is with great pleasure that The World Marine Power Directory is being made available online to the commercial, military and recreational marine industry comprising users, organisations, enterprises and manufacturers. Its design strives to present the data contained in out databases in a clear, unified and easily understandable format making initial selection and comparison of marine engines easier due to the use of standardised units and formats. Despite the long publishing history of The World Marine Power Directory, we welcome improvement suggestions. I believe it was an old Naval Captain who once said, “The absence of change does not indicate that perfection is achieved, merely that complacency has set in!” Thus we welcome your comments. 

A great many engine manufacturers have disappeared over the years, yet the engines themselves are still running! The provenance of these legacy brands has to a limited extent been captured in our second database, Marine Engine Builder Database. It endeavours to offer a single source of detailed information on past and present marine engine builders and their brand names. Any contribution to making this list more complete would be very welcome.

The Directory was recently expanded and now covers engines with powers up to 10,000 kW ~ 13,400 hp.