Modern machinery installations represent a new and demanding world for ship operators. The installations are assembled from optimised components and designed to operate at their limits. All too frequently, dire consequences have been the result where old, tried and tested routines have been used as a substitute for the maker’s instructions.

Major component failures occur within the last few hundred service hours prior to scheduled overhauls and component replacement. One reason might be too long maintenance intervals, not adapted to actual operational conditions, or components reaching the end of their service life.

Another disturbing tendency is that serious machinery breakdowns happen immediately after completion of major overhauls or regular maintenance work such as turbocharger lubricating oil change.

These new Maintenance Induced Failures may originate from increased reliance on simulator training at a too early stage in the education process, downgrading practical seamanship and engineering skill in favour of Control Room Operation.

The sea is the same stern taskmaster as always and a spanner will remain a spanner. Until high tech can replace maintenance and operational skill, there will still be a human touch to consider.