MAN PrimeServ*s Engine Management Concept Makes Breakthrough (Qatar)

Nakilat’s wholly owned fleet of LNG ships is now covered by MAN PrimeServ, MAN Diesel & Turbo’s after-sales division, after an EMC maintenance agreement signed with STASCO – the shipping division of Royal Dutch Shell – which manages the Nakilat ships. The contract covers a period of 10 years and represents a breakthrough for the Engine Management Concept in that the contract covers an entire fleet.

The agreement covers maintenance management/planning, assistance from PrimeServ superintendent engineers and fitters, as well as spare-parts for 25 LNG carriers (14 Q-Max and 11 Q-Flex). Each LNG carrier is equipped with two type MAN B&W 7S70ME-C or 6S70ME-C main-engines, and four type 9L32/40 or 8L32/40 auxiliary engines, and turbochargers. The engines power a new fleet of LNG carriers delivered to Nakilat between October 2008 and August 2010.

The Qatari set-up

For the purposes of the EMC agreement, the partners have entered an agreement with the Nakilat – Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) yard for some of the supporting services, such as the supply of fitters and the handling of specific overhaul tasks. N-KOM is situated in Ras Laffan, Qatar’s main site for LNG production and one of the largest LNG export facilities in the world.

The LNG fleet will call regularly to Ras Laffan where MAN PrimeServ, in a joint venture with Qatar Navigation, is currently in the process of establishing a 6,000-square-metre service centre, headed by Ole S. Jensen, that will serve EMC vessels as well as other ships visiting Qatar. The service centre is located close to N-KOM and will specialise in fuel equipment, turbochargers, governors and all kind of overhauls as well as retrofits.

The Engine Management Concept

The Engine Management Concept is less a contract and more a partnership with much emphasis placed on building a long-term relationship with customers. Essentially, the EMC fixes customers’ maintenance costs at a set level, normally a steady monthly outlay that facilitates the advance setting of budgets with any excessive maintenance costs covered by MAN Diesel & Turbo. The EMC enables customers to outsource operation support, and the maintenance and technical management of diesel engines and turbochargers to MAN Diesel & Turbo. Under such an agreement, MAN Diesel & Turbo is responsible for:

* maintenance planning and management, the provision of regular inspections, qualified labour, the training of operational staff, all spare-parts, and planned and unplanned maintenance

* the responsibility for fulfilling all contractual obligations for a fixed monthly fee

* the nomination of a dedicated Key Account Manager (Superintendent) to coordinate the timely delivery, fulfilment and communication of agreed maintenance projects

* the preparation and implementation of the EMC agreement as an efficiently managed project

* the coordination of all activities in accordance with MAN Diesel & Turbo procedures and safety standards

Michael Petersen, Head of EMC Copenhagen said: “The possibilities for optimising an engine’s life-cycle costs today are many but require an increased focus on operation profiles and, in particular, maintenance over the engine’s lifetime.

The optimisation of engine maintenance can be executed in different ways and considerable savings can be made in extending times between overhaul, depending on the chosen maintenance strategy.”

Petersen added: “MAN PrimeServ has introduced the Engine Management Concept (EMC) with the primary objective of optimising engine life-cycle costs. The EMC replaces that part of a ship owner’s technical management related to MAN Diesel & Turbo products with PrimeServ operating in a close partnership with the ship owner.”

About Nakilat

Nakilat is a Qatari shipping company established in 2004 that forms an integral link of the LNG supply chain for the State of Qatar. Nakilat transports LNG produced from Qatar’s North Field, the world’s largest non-associated gas field with approximately 15% of the world’s proven reserves, to global markets. The company operates and leases a fleet of LNG and gas derivative vessels, most notably the Q-Max and Q-Flex type LNG carriers. It has 25 wholly owned and 29 jointly owned LNG carriers and four jointly owned liquefied petroleum gas vessels, which makes it one of the largest LNG transportation companies in the world.

About STASCO

Shell Trading and Shipping Company (STASCO) manages and operates one of the world’s largest fleets of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers and oil tankers. It transports cargoes for customers of Royal Dutch Shell, the global group of energy and petrochemicals companies with around 101,000 employees in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide.

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Source: MAN Diesel & Turbo, January 27, 2011;