AIMS

School of Merchant Marine

Midn. Dinlasan, Romar P. 119-0399

BS MarE 32-A2 C/E Norberto Ecat
MAINT. 32L3
What is the Purpose of Maintenance?
Maintenance is the key to
any mechanical equipment or
machinery’s longer lifespan.
Essentially, maintaining the ship’s
engines and the mechanical
systems to ensure the smooth-
running condition is of utmost
significance. Every vessel’s
productivity is simply connected with the adequate plans prepared by the vessel’s
classification society that conduct regular surveys and inspections to ensure proper
functioning of the ship.

Moreover, maintenance is an integral duty onboard that is carried out to

preserve an asset or equipment, in order to enable its continued use and function,
above a minimum acceptable level of performance, over its design service life, without
unforeseen renewal or major repair activities. Technically, maintenance is a collection
of procedures and practices that strive to keep machinery and equipment running
smoothly and efficiently.

Basically, the main purpose of maintenance is to

ensure that all equipment or machineries required for
operation is functioning at 100% efficiency at all times.
Through short daily inspections, cleaning, lubricating,
and making minor adjustments, minor problems can be
detected and corrected before they become a major
problem.

Onboard, it is important to carry out maintenance to

assure that every machinery and equipment especially
in the engine room are on its tip-top condition, whether it is a small or large machinery
since as we all know, efficient and consistent maintenance can surely prolong the life
of any machinery or equipment onboard. Moreover, each machinery onboard requires
 AIMS
School of Merchant Marine

maintenance which has to be carried out at regular intervals of time to ensure that it is
running smoothly.

Effective maintenance is essential for ship operation due to its complexity and
the obligations on shipping organizations to comply with specific regulations and
requirements, including ISM. Poor maintenance management could reduce the ship's
availability, which may, in turn, be reflected in the revenue of the company. Another
issue that requires attention is the impact of maintenance on the ship's fuel
consumption. It is argued and shown that proper maintenance leads to more energy-
efficient ship operation. Thus, the requirement for maintenance and energy-efficient
operation fully overlaps with each other.

Generally, the objective of

any maintenance plan on ship is to
get the maintenance and repair
work done in the least possible time
with minimum costs. Therefore,
every shipping company follows it
to guarantee that the ship's
machinery maintains the standard
quality of operation and safety. Additionally, maintenance is an essential component
of a ship's everyday operations as well as an integral component of the ship's
maintenance system. Also, various points mentioned in the ISM code are taken into
consideration, along with company’s procedures and manufacturer’s guidelines while
carrying out maintenance onboard