Wärtsilä Service Agreement with Eidesvik
Wärtsilä, the marine industry's leading ship power solution provider, has signed a long term service agreement with Eidesvik Offshore, Norway, for the supply of maintenance services for the seismic vessel Oceanic Vega. The service agreement is expected to considerably reduce maintenance costs for the owner, while providing uninterrupted availability and high levels of reliability. The agreement, which was signed at this year's ONS exhibition in Stavanger, Norway on 24 August, is for five years, with an option for an additional five years. There is also an option for a sister vessel, due to be delivered in July 2011.
Identifying faults before breakdowns occur
Wärtsilä's proactive DMP (Dynamic Maintenance Planning) programme includes the planning and scheduling of engine maintenance based on the online monitoring of the mechanical condition, performance, system efficiency data, and other indicators from each engine. The data is collected and monitored daily, which enables the sources of faults to be identified before failure occurs.
The Oceanic Vega was built at the Ulstein Verft yard in Norway, and was delivered on 1 July 2010. The ship's integrated power system consists of six Wärtsilä 26 engines, gears, adjustable thrusters and controls. The Norwegian marine trade magazine Skipsrevyen has nominated the ship for the Ship of the Year 2010 award.
"Wärtsilä's Dynamic Maintenance Planning (DMP) works as a partnership whereby the supplier, owner, and operator work together to minimize non-operational periods. The concept includes planning and scheduling maintenance, utilizing system efficiency data, and holding regular meetings, as well as using a variety of measurements. This data is collected and monitored on a daily basis, and in this way we can effectively assess the likelihood of breakdowns before they occur," said Sveinung Hansen, President, Wärtsilä Norway.
Reducing downtime lowers costs
The company's Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) system is a part of Wärtsilä's DMP. CBM combines on-line monitoring of the vessel's mechanical and thermal condition, with system efficiency data, and many other indicators, to assess the condition of an engine. All this real time information from the shipboard system is transmitted on a 24/7 basis to Wärtsilä service professionals. The Wärtsilä service team then accurately assesses the overall status and condition of the engine and ultimately the maintenance it needs. The team then issues regular reports to the engine users based on established guidelines and specific operating conditions.
Wärtsilä's Sveinung Hansen and Eidesvik's Jan Fredrik Meling, point to the fact that their companies have co-operated closely on innovative solutions for many years. Eidesvik were, for example, the first ship owners to utilize Wärtsilä's DF dual-fuel engines on their supply vessels. Both companies also participate in the Fellowship-project, where the aim is to develop and demonstrate hybrid fuel cell power packs, especially for use in marine and offshore applications.
