Ship Breakdowns Blamed on Lube Failures
Lubrication failure was the most expensive and most frequent cause of damage to vessels during 2015-2017, costing an estimated U.S.$131 million, according to a recent report by marine mutual insurer The Swedish Club in a report on main engine damage.
The Gothenburg, Sweden-based insurers report included 202 main engine claims at an average cost of $647,920 per claim. It determined that 40 vessel casualties – i.e., damage to or loss of ships – were caused by lubrication failure between 2015 and 2017, at an average cost of $763,320. Passenger vessels and ferries have the highest frequency of main engine claims, the report found.
The Swedish Clubs members are an international community of ship owners. The types of vessels insured by the company include bulkers, container ships, dry cargo ships, roll-on and roll-off ships, tankers, and passenger vessels and ferries, among others.
The insurers recommendations for avoiding main engine damage include implementing robust onboard fuel and lubrication oil management systems; onboard testing of lubrication oil and submitting samples for laboratory analysis at regular intervals at least every third month; and carrying out system checks of purifiers and filters for both fuel and lubrication oil systems.
Crankshaft and associated bearings were the most expensive claim, at an average cost of $1.2 million per claim. The insurer noted that costly rudder and rudder bearing damage affected the result for steering claims, which saw an average increase in cost of 53 percent since the 2010-2014 period, with an average cost of $572,920 per claim. The report also includes loss prevention advice from major engine manufacturers Man Engines and Wartsila.
Fluids such as fuel, lube oil and cooling water have a significant impact on engine operation and should be constantly monitored using laboratories with stringent quality controls, Man said in its comments. This will enable the operator to react to any changes of fluid quality immediately. When available, take advantage of manufacturers remote monitoring technology to reduce downtimes.
Wartsila noted that proper trending of cooling water, lubrication oil and fuel oil analysis creates an understanding of the overall condition of the machinery and assists in calibrating maintenance needs as well as component lifetimes.