FOR vessel operators, every day of unscheduled downtime results in high costs, regardless of whether the ship is an offshore support vessel (OSV), a tugboat, ferry or yacht
It is against this background that Voith says it offers a wide range of customized service solutions for its Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP), Voith Inline Thruster (VIT) and Voith Linear Jet (VLJ) propulsion concepts.
“Every service plan that Voith develops in collaboration with the customer is tailored precisely to the respective application,” the company said in a statement.
It cited the VIT as an example of the benefits of this approach, saying its RIM drives are in use in a wide range of vessels, including the OSV Kroonborg, which supplies offshore platforms and wind farms in the rough waters of the North Sea, as well as in luxurious super yachts that mostly operate in calm seas.
“Despite these very different requirements, operators of vessels expect their propulsion system to operate reliably at all times.”
To this end, Voith experts are in close contact with ship owners worldwide to develop customised concepts for maintenance and service.
“As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Voith can draw on comprehensive expertise about the drive systems when developing these service packages. Its longstanding experience with the propulsion systems is above all important when providing recommendations for preventive maintenance. The proactive replacement of propulsion system components helps prevent unscheduled downtimes and additional costs.”
The company said that customers often want detailed framework contracts with fixed response times or guaranteed spare parts prices for several years. This is the kind of agreement concluded between public utility Stadtwerke Konstanz and Voith.
The utility operates the ferry service on Lake Constance between Constance and Meersburg. “To ensure operation on the high-traffic route, we guarantee that a malfunctioning VSP will be at our service department in Heidenheim within maximum one day,” said Dieter Baumgartl, Head of Sales Support Marine Division at Voith. If needed, the utility also has spare propellers that can be installed quickly.
Additionally, through preventive maintenance as part of a scheduled overhaul, the Voith Service Team aims to reduce the risk of a tug failure and therefore increases the safety of all shipping traffic.
During these overhauls, the propulsion systems are also upgraded technically, for example by replacing a mechanical control system by an electronic version.
“Following these retrofit measures, the vessel propulsion systems, of which some are in service for decades, can be operated with optimum energy efficiency again, and are therefore ideally equipped for many more years of reliable service,” the company said.
It added that for some years now, there had been an increasing demand for Voith training to enable crews to carry out a number of emergency repairs themselves. As well as these emergency training options, Voith trains vessel captains in the special mode of operation of the VSPs and explains what they can do to ensure the reliable and efficient operation of the propeller.
In a simulator, they are taught how to best handle difficult harbour entrances with the VSP.