Needed to produce steam to heat and process loads on ships, marine boilers are an integral part of vessels. Given their necessity, it’s extremely important for vessel owners to check and maintain the health of their boiler. In fact, regular boiler maintenance allows ship owners to avoid the extremely costly consequences that come with boiler breakdowns, such as incomplete tasks and mid-journey issues. Below are five different types of servicing options available for boilers:
- Pre-Docking Inspection
This type of inspection is carried out before a vessel dry docks for repair and maintenance work. Because the time a vessel spends dry docking is valuable time lost from carrying out other tasks, a quick and efficient dry docking is extremely important. Doing a pre-docking inspection before the vessel dry docks can help the ship manager understand the problems present in the vessel’s boiler. This allows for better preparation through a more detailed allocation of time and people, thus resulting in a better dry docking experience.
2. Dry Docking Services (DDS)
After the pre-docking inspection, the repair crew uses their findings to specialize their services in preparation for the vessel’s dry docking at an arranged shipyard. Dry docking is a great time for vessel repairs because of easy access to relevant manpower, especially if retubing and welding are required. Resultantly, this is where major boiler problems and potential issues are addressed.
3. Health Check Attendance Services (HCA)
Another servicing option for ship owners is to arrange for a health check package. Health checks for boilers are essential in ensuring that complex systems are functioning correctly. These checks also help identify if repairs are necessary so that boiler operations are not interrupted by critical malfunctions in the future.
4. Maintenance and Repairs Services (MRS)
Boiler malfunctions generally require the in-person assistance of service engineers or boiler experts. MRS for vessels are divided into two main categories: repair jobs and automation jobs. Repair jobs typically involve retubing or welding when the boiler has a leak, whereas automation jobs involve calibrations done by a specialized engineer, mainly on the burner.
5. Remote Troubleshooting Advice
If repair experts aren’t able to physically assist a vessel when it’s facing boiler issues, whether it be because the vessel is mid journey or due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, it’s important for ship crew to solve the problems themselves. This can be done through three way communication between superintendents sitting in office, supporting service vendors, and the ship crew with the help of technology such as Gotrix.io, an online service that efficiently troubleshoots and captures solutions in knowledge banks that the crew can later refer to. Though troubleshooting advice alone may not solve complex issues or problems for which specific spare parts/equipment are required, this online service allows the crew to attempt to work through boiler issues themselves, which is especially important when handling urgent matters.
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This article is brought to you by Giantech Engineering Pte Ltd. Find out how Giantech may help meet your vessel’s boilers needs:
