Ship intelligence is moving some steps closer to reality as companies launch condition-based maintenance solutions at the Posidonia exhibition in Athens. SKF Marine has introduced a new condition monitoring route kit that will enable ship operators, managers and owners to extend the life of machinery and components.

SKF Marine chief executive Martin Johannsmann said the Swedish company was heading towards more condition monitoring and predictive maintenance for onboard equipment. “We have developed new software for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance that is running on our recently developed cloud solution,” he told Marine Electronics & Communications. “We are a front runner for condition-based maintenance and performance monitoring. The maritime industry is ready for doing this.”

His colleague, marine business development manager Anders Welin explained that the system will help owners optimise maintenance, reduce the risk of failure and lower maintenance costs. “Sensors are connected to equipment, and handheld devices read the data, which is then uploaded to the cloud, so several users can access the data,” he said. SKF then compares the performance of machinery against its own models to identify if there are any issues with the condition.

Rolls-Royce has introduced a commercial health management solution for various vessels following several months of tests and pilots. Rolls-Royce senior vice president for marine services Jay McFadyen said the health management solution was ready for commercial launch. His colleague, general manager for these solutions Marco Camporeale said the service will provide 24/7 technical support and access to remote networks of troubleshooting engineers. He said the service involves monitoring of components across the Rolls-Royce fleet, analysis of the data, diagnosis of issues and advice on how ship operators should respond. “We use the modelling to diagnose and detect issues, create notifications and a strategy to intervene,” he said.