The analysis of the maintenance systems of a LPG carrier’s liquefaction system main components
The introductory part of this paper offers an overview of approaches on general marine maintenance and clarifies the significance of modern maintenance techniques, as well as their application in shipping practice. Unplanned down times and accidents, which result from inappropriate maintenance, create additional expenses. In today’s shipping practice the widely shared concept of planned maintenance is not the most effective of the approaches. The appropriate maintenance system needs to prevent or reduce down times. Modern condition-based and reliability-centered maintenance systems recognize the market demand for a better ratio of the invested funds and complex tasks that the maintenance systems need to fulfill. The paper further analyses the possibilities of adjusting the maintenance intervals, which are shown on the example of a modern system for cargo liquefaction on a liquefied petroleum gas tanker.