When operating a ship optimally and efficiently, the importance of maintenance is second to none. Timely maintenance reduces the risks of irreparable damages and unnecessary costs to the company. Not to mention, regular maintenance activities are paramount to the safety of crew and cargo onboard.

 A ship’s engine is its heart and does most of the heavy lifting. But it consists of many working parts, each with its own complex mechanism. Staying on top of everything to keep a vessel running smoothly like a well-oiled machine requires regular intervention at mandated schedules.

What are the challenges associated with ship maintenance and how to remedy them? Read on to find out.

Major Ship Maintenance Challenges

Ship maintenance is not an easy task. It has its own set of challenges which make it difficult to conduct timely maintenance procedures. Some of them are: 

  • Lack of manpower and time – Modern ships have onboard a mere 3-4 engineers. The time allotted to maintenance is also drastically less. 
  • Legacy systems – Certain ship equipment have automatically resetting metres which impede timely maintenance. Certain logs are also manually kept on paper or spreadsheets. 
  • Tedious manual inspection – pre-trip and post-trip inspections can be time-consuming and tedious and hinder an effective evaluation
  • Lack of proper inventory – The parts required to replace or keep up the machinery in perfect condition need to be accounted for maintenance. Lack of proper inventory management can be a challenge to proper maintenance.

How Can a Planned Maintenance System (PMS) Help?

A well-structured maintenance system is key to keeping your fleet in its best condition. The best kind of maintenance is always a preventative one. This ensures that the equipment has minimal and recoverable damage only. 

A Planned Maintenance System or PMS is a software that is specifically designed to schedule maintenance procedures based on the running time and classification of the ship. It follows the guidelines implemented by the latest ISM Code, the company policy as well as manufacturers’ guidelines. 

This system digitally maintains the run time of all the concerned equipment to ensure that timely action is taken to reduce damage and increase efficiency. 

It keeps a tab on the seaworthiness of all concerned systems according to the mandated parameters. 

In the end, its main objective is to ensure that the work is done with maximum efficiency and at minimum cost.

PMS – The Solution to Your Ship Maintenance Challenges

A PMS is designed to keep the ship’s equipment in its best condition. With a proper PMS in place, the maintenance system of the ship performs at its best. Here are some of the benefits of a proper PMS. 

  • Safety and Protection of Assets – The safety of the ship’s crew and equipment onboard is of utmost importance. It cuts down the hazard caused by faulty equipment and ensures the damage is not irredeemable. 
  • Routine Maintenance checks – With a digitised and automated PMS in place, schedules for routine checkups are automatically prepared. They are synced with the engine hours and metre reading to ensure maintenance happens on time. 
  • Streamline inspection process – With the processes and readings digitised, the inspection process can be streamlined and synced with the digital data that is uploaded in real-time 
  • Optimise inventory management – A PMS can help maintain a well-stocked inventory with items that are useful to the ship at any given moment.
  • Electronic reports – PMS can generate electronic reports with real-time data readings. Keep track of data of all your assets with PMS.

Why You Should Choose Shipmate’s PMS

Shipmate is an ideal option for your ship’s maintenance needs. Shipmate is a trusted name in the field of software solutions for the maritime industry. Certified by Bureau Veritas, our PMS includes specific features that ensure you get only the industry-standard service. 

Looking for a reliable ship planned maintenance software? Get in touch with us today!