Introduction
Keeping a ship sailing sometimes feels like keeping hundreds of plates spinning in unison.
It takes constant shipping maintenance, careful attention, and, every now and then, some quick thinking to make sure that all of a ship’s specialized systems and equipment run smoothly.
And the challenge is growing: Delays are more common and shipping costs are higher, putting more pressure on you to reduce your spending and find new efficiencies.
That’s why more shipping companies are taking a new approach that was often overlooked in the past: onboard shipping maintenance infrastructure.
By renting solutions that can provide power, water, fuel and other services as needed, ships can remain operational almost indefinitely, even while maintenance is being carried out. Onboard infrastructure can greatly reduce the disruption of ship maintenance, decrease time-to-completion, and – if you choose to rent your infrastructure – is completely scalable to suit any length of ship and any size of fleet.
Let’s find out more about what onboard maintenance infrastructure is, how it can improve maintenance outcomes, and how we at Aggreko can help you adopt it on your ships.
Onboard shipping maintenance infrastructure: shipping generators, water solutions and more
Onboard shipping maintenance infrastructure is, in short, designed to provide all of the essential functions a ship needs to keep running smoothly while maintenance is being performed.
Onboard shipping maintenance infrastructure can generally be divided into four categories:
- Shore power – This most common type of on-demand infrastructure, providing AC power to vessels via an onboard connection. These onboard shipping generators keep your lights on and your machinery running whether you’re at berth, in transit, or even offshore, eliminating the need to keep your engine running constantly.
- Water – On-demand water solutions provide you with a reliable source of pressurized fresh water for everything from firefighting to cooking and cooling systems.
- Fuel – On-demand fuel solutions are (as the name suggests) designed to give your ship reliable access to diesel fuel. They could include anything from dedicated storage tanks to mobile refuelers or a shipping generator.
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning HVAC – Keeping a ship's interior at a consistent, comfortable temperature is essential, but this can be difficult to achieve onboard (either at port or while at sea). A good HVAC solution can help you maintain a safe and comfortable temperature for staff, while also giving you more control over temperature when you need to conduct precise maintenance jobs like welding.
What are the benefits of onboard shipping maintenance solutions for at-sea or dry-dock ship maintenance?
With the right onboard shipping maintenance solutions, you won’t just make your maintenance more efficient; you can also improve your overall shipping process.
The biggest benefits of using onboard shipping maintenance solutions are:
- Increased efficiency - With onboard maintenance solutions, there’s a much smaller risk that you will have to delay maintenance until you reach a convenient stage of your journey, or that you will be forced to turn back prematurely if urgent maintenance needs crop up while you’re at sea. Instead, executive shipping management teams can rest assured that your ship can access the services that it needs as and when it needs them, saving money and cutting down on wasted time.
- Reduced emissions - Marine diesel engines are major contributors to carbon emissions, so keeping them running 24/7 can send your carbon footprint sky-high. However, if your engine is your only source of power for electrical devices onboard your ship, there is very little alternative. That’s why simply adding an onboard power generator can significantly cut back on your ship’s emissions by allowing you to turn your engine off at regular intervals.
- Improved safety - When your ship is equipped with on-demand solutions, you can rest easy knowing that you always have a reliable source of power and water – even in emergency situations when you might be cut off from your usual services.
- More reliable services - As the blocking of the Suez Canal by the Ever Given demonstrated, the world is increasingly dependent on shipping services to provide many essentials. By reducing both the disruption to journeys and the time taken to complete maintenance, onboard shipping maintenance solutions help to stabilize the shipping industry as a whole and provide more reliable service for customers.
How can Aggreko support executive shipping management?
We’ve been providing on-demand shipping infrastructure for over 50 years, and we use that experience to help our customers get the most from their maritime operations.
We know that every ship is different, so we don’t offer a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, we’ll work with you to optimize your executive shipping management.
Whether you’re an FPSO vessel, ferry operator or cargo ship, we’ll draw from our wide range of equipment to find solutions that fit your needs, from simple shore power solutions to precise cooling and heating solutions that keep your environment at the perfect temperature.
And, with over 211 locations around the world, we’re always close at hand, whether you’re at port or out at sea.
Aggreko in action: two-stage cooling for LNG vessel maintenance
Let’s take a look at a practical example of how onboard maintenance infrastructure can help you work more efficiently and keep your people safe.
An LNG tanker recently reached out to us for help with a tricky maintenance problem.
A routine maintenance check revealed a problem with the vessel’s tanker while the ship was docked in Singapore. The tanker needed urgent welding – but the tropical location meant that the temperature and humidity on board was too high to complete the task.
The ship itself didn’t have the capacity to maintain the right environment; they urgently needed a cooling partner they could rely on.
They called Aggreko, and our experts got to work devising a solution that would allow the welding to begin – and get the ship out of the dry dock as fast as possible.
We stepped in with a 2-stage cooling process:
- The first chiller cooled room temperatures from 29oC to 22oC.
- The cooled air was then funneled via ducting and cooled further to 16oC. This chilled air could then be pushed into the controlled environment so vital maintenance checks could be carried out with zero risks.
With the environment now cooled to a perfect 29oC and a humidity level of 55%, welding could begin.
And, most importantly, the ship was back in prime condition within three days – and managed to avoid costly penalties for delays in the maintenance schedule.
Stay afloat and improve shipping processes with onboard maintenance infrastructure
Nowadays, staying afloat in any shipping-based industry means optimizing every aspect of your shipping processes – and maintenance is no exception.
That’s why onboard maintenance infrastructure is vital for almost every kind of ship. With the right solutions, you can drive huge improvements in efficiency and safety, and reduce the disruption of maintenance as much as possible.
With over 50 years of experience providing on-demand shipping infrastructure, we’ll help you figure out the best combination of solutions for your vessel.
Reach out to us to find out how you can get the most out of your maritime operation.
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