Class recognition for Wärtsilä condition monitoring

Overview of PCMS system for a steerable thruster

APRIL 8, 2014 — Wärtsilä has received service level recognition for its Propulsion Condition Monitoring Service (PCMS) from DNV-GL, making Wärtsilä the first company to attain this type of recognition from three of the major classification societies — ABS, Lloyd’s Register, and DNV-GL.

The approval means that class surveyors may rely on Wärtsilä’s PCMS when assessing propulsion equipment. This eliminates the need for the compulsory five-year internal inspection, which often requires drydocking. Instead, with the Wärtsilä PCMS continuously monitoring the equipment, major thruster overhauls can be carried out at intervals of anywhere between five and 10 years, based on the actual condition of the propulsion equipment. PCMS increases the reliability and availability of monitored equipment and reduces overall lifecycle costs.

The service level recognition is a confirmation that Wärtsilä’s PCMS is well suited for its intended purpose of condition monitoring and condition based maintenance of propulsion equipment. By replacing visual internal inspections with a yearly review of the PCMS reports, surveyors can more easily make decisions affecting classification or statutory surveys to ensure compliance with applicable class rules and various international conventions.

“Financially this will have a big efficiency impact on the operations of marine customers,” says Frank Velthuis, Manager of Wärtsilä’s CBM Center Propulsion. “PCMS enables condition based maintenance and eliminates the need to perform an overhaul simultaneously with the compulsory five year inspections, unless of course, PCMS shows there is a need for it. Prior to attaining this service level recognition, approvals could only be given on a vessel by vessel basis. With the service level recognition, this will become much easier.”

Wärtsilä sees its condition and performance monitoring services as being a prerequisite to supporting customers in the future, and a logical complement to its service agreements business. Monitoring the performance and condition of a ship’s equipment enables owners to optimize its usage and predict the maintenance need, thereby improving asset performance and reducing the total cost of ownership.