The Swedish Club: Containerships have more auxiliary engine claims

The diversified mutual marine insurance company said in a report that containerships have a significantly higher claims frequency due to the larger number of installed engines on these vessels.    Diversified mutual marine insurance company The Swedish Club says that an investigation into auxiliary engine damage on ships has revealed that most of all damage takes place immediately after maintenance work.
   A key finding in the investigation, the insurance company said Jan. 8, is that 55 percent of casualties occur within only 10 percent of the time between overhaul, corresponding to the first 1,000 hours or so of operation after overhaul. In most cases, the damage occurs only a few hours after start up.
   The 12-page report, titled “Auxiliary Engine Damage,” also finds that container vessels have a significantly higher claims frequency due to the larger number of installed engines on these vessels. In addition, these engines have considerable output, leading to higher repair costs compared with other vessels.
   Incorrect maintenance and wrongful repair are the most common causes of damage, while poor lubrication oil management is also a major contributing factor to auxiliary engine break downs, the report states.
   The Swedish Club says its report was put together in response to the club’s members’ concerns over damage to auxiliary engines – a significant segment of machinery claims, both in number and in cost.
   “Auxiliary engines run at high revolutions and have a common lubrication system for both cylinder and crank case lubrication,” Peter Stålberg, senior technical adviser at The Swedish Club explained. “They are not under the same strict regime from the classification society as the main engine, and maintenance is often carried out by the vessel crew.
   “We see incorrect maintenance and wrongful repair in all too many cases, and poor lubrication management is also a major contributing factor to auxiliary engine break downs,” he continued. “With an average repair cost of more than $345,000, we cannot emphasize enough the principle that prevention is better than cure.”