Marine Maintenance Technology International - April 2016

⠿ ENGINES & TURBOCHARGERS

(^30) ⠿ MARINE MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL | APRIL 2016
post-maintenance follow-up – in other words
careful double-checking of the repairs.
The Club goes on to suggest that
shortage of experienced seafarers is a
constant problem in the industry and
believes that officers are being promoted
before they have acquired the necessary
experience for senior command. This shows
the importance of monitoring by shore staff,
as well as including maintenance of all
engine components in the ship’s planned
maintenance system (PMS).
Although The Swedish Club places
much of the responsibility at the feet of
the engineers on board, it is worth noting
that the industry has been aware of the
general decline in standards of seafarers
for many years. In the 1960s, when engine
room automation was in its infancy, some
industry commentators saw the unmanned
engine room, with routine operations
performed robotically, as a kind of savior.
Even then, seafarers were perceived as not
having the knowledge or abilities of those
of the generation before. On the other hand,
some experts forecast that the trend for
automation would lead to higher repair bills,
as without experienced engineers on board,
it would not be possible to detect problems at
an early stage.
Don’t blame seafarers
It’s all too easy to blame the crews, but the
industry itself, knowingly or unknowingly,
has brought about this situation. Manning
is one of the major expenditures for any
ship operator, so the constant pressure on
costs encourages recruitment of cheaper,
less able seafarers. At the same time, the
increased sophistication of machinery
resulting from the drive for cleaner, more
efficient ships, demands a higher skill set

• today’s engineers need far more than
  wrenches, screwdrivers and hammers in
  their tool chests.
  The engine companies recognize this
  and offer comprehensive training facilities.
  MAN Diesel & Turbo, for example, has 13
  training academies in nine countries, under
  its PrimeServ service arm. The company
  believes that good training of shipboard
  and shore-based staff has a positive impact
  on safety and quality, and keeps downtime
  and non-availability at the lowest level. The
  academies aim to guide participants through
  operation, maintenance and trouble-shooting
  through hands-on exercises on full-scale
  machinery, including working on simulators.
  “We strive to create a ‘real life’
  atmosphere so that participants can relate
  the learning objectives to their working
  environment, to be as local as possible
  and to save participants’ traveling costs
  and time. In our global setup of PrimeServ

A MAN Diesel & Turbo PrimeServ

training academy – one of 13 in

nine countries

A Kongsberg Maritime-

built full engine room

simulator has been

installed at France’s École

Nationale Supérieure

Maritime (ENSM) in Le

Havre, France

INSET: Enchantment of the Seas

will receive new turbochargers

from MAN PrimeServ

RCCL