Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has launched new device aiming to make vessel boiler failure a thing of the past; reducing downtime and cutting repair costs as well.
When a boiler fails on board a vessel, it is often the result of incorrect treatment of the boiler water. Rune Nygaard, WSS Business Manager, Water, explains that this digital, cloud-based, automated boiler water dosing solution from WSS is the first of its kind in the shipping market.
“It’s a development we’ve made in response to very clear customer demands,” he comments. “Boiler failure is an ever-present danger, with repair costs often amounting to between USD 80,000 and USD 180,000, and that’s before any related vessel downtime has been taken into consideration.
“Vessel crews do the best they can to test water and maintain predictable operations, but the testing can be unreliable and time consuming and, in some cases, an afterthought when compared to vessel duties that are seen as more ‘core’ to on-going operations.
“This is a risk that ship owners and operators shouldn’t need to take,” adds Rune.
According to the company, the device, which has evolved from concept to finished product in just three months, reduces the risk of boiler failure and the need for manual testing by crew, and offers a connectivity that enables on- and offshore data sharing. The solution measures the relevant boiler-water parameters, before communicating this data to the command unit, which then doses the boiler water chemicals.
“The automation further reduces risk by correctly managing the chemical dosage, thus negating human error, while ensuring that crew no longer need to handle these chemicals,” Rune explains.
WSS says that the automated boiler water dosing solution has been thoroughly tested , it will be piloted aboard ten vessels for final refinements and soon it will be ready to be released to market.
Source & Image credits: WWW
