Kristof Adam, General Manager Europe, W&O
By Kristof Adam, General Manager Europe, W&O
Drydocking is likely one of the most necessary upkeep actions in a vessel’s lifecycle, and a failure to plan for it correctly can price house owners plenty of money and time. This op-ed highlights how digitalization is being utilized to valve administration and alternative to remodel the dry-docking course of.
Every vessel is required to dry dock at the very least as soon as each 5 years and requires plenty of preparation and planning. Insufficient planning will result in extra urgency work and can escalate prices. Speed is an important issue, with operators and house owners desirous to get out and in as shortly as potential to reduce operational losses. When it involves the alternative of overboard valves planning must be spot on. Often, the valves circumstances are unknown, or the vessel is unaware of the precise specs forward of the vessel going into drydock. This will increase the problem for the dry-dock administration crew to have the ship refitted and again in operation as quickly as potential.
Ship surveying throughout dry-docking to find out valve situation has its dangers and sometimes results in valves being ordered and sourced in a rush. In these circumstances, and with out skilled data, challenge groups will purchase valves based mostly on what is obtainable, moderately than what’s most suited to the job. Rushed surveying, ordering will increase the danger of sourcing incorrect valves, invalidates high quality management measures and will increase transportation prices as elements could have to be flown to the dry-dock location.
The trade is already responding to vital modifications, from digitalization and knowledge analytics helping in voyage optimization and vitality effectivity retrofit selections. This can also be mirrored within the valve provide sector, which may use digital applied sciences to make sure alternative valves are delivered and put in on time and keep away from the necessity for last-minute valve testing, which may trigger supply or set up delays.
INFORMED DATA DRIVEN INSIGHTS
The adoption of digital expertise helps house owners and operators to optimize their operations and scale back prices. For changing and repairing valves and fittings, digitalization helps to place asset well being and situation knowledge within the fingers of vessel managers, permitting them to make higher selections about procurement and provide chain administration.
FOCUS ON THE DETAIL
Many ship house owners and operators know little or no concerning the valves on their ships, typically the one out there listing of valves is the one from when the vessel was initially constructed. If valves have been changed up to now, even fundamental details about a valve, measurement, internals, dimensions or supplies of building, perhaps tough to search out with no laborious search of paperwork. Without correct and accessible documentation, the dangers of ordering incorrect valves, which may result in breakdown and gear harm, are significantly elevated.
PREPARATION IS KEY
A pre-dry dock survey of the valves on a vessel can mitigate these dangers. Using an inventory provided by the vessel proprietor as a place to begin, an skilled technical crew can go onboard to establish and verify the valves. Surveys sometimes require a couple of day, and might be accomplished anytime the vessel is in port. Once the survey is accomplished, the dry-docking crew can work to supply the required valves at a aggressive value, and guarantee they’re match for objective forward of the dry-docking.
RFID TAGGING
Having a transparent stock of the valves on-board and a documented historical past is important to good valve administration throughout a fleet. As a part of its pre-dry dock valve survey, W&O applies RFID tags to valves, digitizing the valve document and making future surveys easier. RFID tags include knowledge on valve measurement, model, supplies, info on the actuator, testing certificates, its transport and set up dates, and its inspection historical past, together with pictures taken throughout its service lifetime. All this knowledge is obtainable to the technical surveyor and the vessel representatives by a smartphone app guaranteeing consistency, accuracy and ease of administration.
Through the revolutionary use of expertise, and the event of recent approaches to service supply, shipowners can save money and time spent on surveys by utilizing sensible knowledge insights. Digitising valve knowledge utilizing RFID tagging permits house owners to trace valve situation over time and incorporate the data into their digital platforms and combine info into useful resource planning software program, serving to to wash up the information on put in valves.
Shipowners want to have the ability to make the fitting selections on the proper time and lowering room for error or inaccuracy can clean the method of valve identification and ordering to make an actual industrial distinction to house owners. Accessing digital applied sciences and technical experience can be certain that the fitting alternative valves for the job are delivered on time, and at a aggressive value for profitable dry-docking.
