How AST's telematics services helped detect and avoid a £40,000 engine rebuild

Research has consistently shown telematics reduce costs and optimise vessel performance and efficiency. The example below means your original annual investment in telemetry would be recovered within the first year.

The Challenge

This leading-edge technology established for many years in the land transport sector has been proven to drive down vessel fleet costs, improve efficiencies, reduce emissions and unplanned breakdowns and improve the safety culture of your company.

Gardline, part of the Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. engineering department utilised our telemetry solution to monitor engine performance data for their offshore workboats. Using our system they noticed increased fuel consumption on one of their twin engine workboats servicing the offshore renewables sector warranting further investigation.

In real near time the onshore engineering department reviewed the boost pressures data on both engines clearly identifying a substantial lower boost pressure on the port engine (0.84 vs 1.17) indicating either a boost leak or turbo fault – see graph.

Recognising the risk to the crew and vessel as it was deployed, engineering contacted the vessel where it was confirmed the crew were unaware of the issue however reported the vessel as “sluggish”. The vessel was ordered to return to port solely on its starboard engine to avoid further damage.

The subsequent physical inspection discovered that the inducer wheel tips on the port turbo had fractured and broken up. This prompt action alerted by AST telemetry enabled the repair to be carried out thus avoiding a new turbo at a replacement cost of £40K or worse a complete engine rebuild leading to several weeks lost income valued at £14000.

David Coull, Engineering Supervisor, stated AST alerts “Was invaluable in this instance as the turbo could have failed completely resulting in an expensive engine replacement including the down time to repair”.