CASTROL SAVES GLOBAL MARINE OPERATOR ESTIMATED $149K IN MAINTENANCE COSTS AND DOWNTIME
How used oil analysis interpretation and technical SmartGains support from Castrol engineers led to reduced lubricant consumption and improved auxiliary engine performance.
The problem: frequent failure reports
A global marine vessel operator wanted to reduce carbon andgreenhouse gas emissions and looked to support this aim bymanaging lubricant and equipment efficiency through Used OilAnalysis (UOA) and Scavenge Drain Analysis (SDA). The operatorwas also experiencing frequent instances of marginal and criticalreports. Each failure required 150L of lubricant and at least onehour’s technician time. These repeated interventions led to asignificant increase in lubricant consumption and unplannedmaintenance, along with adverse reliability, availability andmaintainability (RAM) statistics.
The results: year-on-year reduction in failures
B and C-rated samples fell from 105 in 2017 to 53 in 2019,and again to 42 in 2020. Castrol’s SmartGains approach,which includes the client’s UOA and SDA programmes, hasbeen assessed at a value of around $149k. With a totallubricant spend of approximately $4M in 2020, this valuecounts for 3.7%. Where this approach has real merit, however,is in helping our customer to drive their RAM improvementstrategy. Moreover, by improving the lubrication managementelement of maintenance, they can influence and reduce overallmaintenance costs as part of their drive to reduce carbonoutput.
The castrol solution: smartgains lubricationstrategy
By working closely with the operator and reviewing their CastrolUOA program as well as Castrol Fleet Optimiser, our engineeridentified that auxiliary engines were a fleet-wide ‘bad actor’,reducing the reliability of mean time between failure (MTBF)statistics for all vessels. Auxiliary engines account for somethingin the region of $247.5k out of an estimated total $4M lubricantspend – that’s around 6.2%. With that in mind, any reductionin consumption and spend would add value. Our engineerdeveloped lubrication solutions that have resulted in a dramaticreduction in the number of marginal/critical (B and C-rated)UOA reports.
The figures: smartgains achieved
| SMARTGAINS AREA | SAVINGS | COST TO CUSTOMER TOIMPLEMENT CHANGE | CREATED VALUEPER YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| *** UOA value for 1,438 samples in 2020. Agreement includes up to 1,800 FOC* | 1,438 samples @ $60 each | N/A | $86,280 |
| *** SDA value for 568 samples in 2020. Agreement includes up to 600 FOC* | 568 samples @ $100 each | N/A | $56,800 |
| *** Technical Services Engineer’s time creating Fleet Optimiser Report (Half yearly) | 2 x 5 Hours @ $200/hr | N/A | $2,000 |
| *** Reduced number of lube oil Interventions in 2020 resulting inreduced lubricant usage | 2020 lube vol & spend = 2.49ML & $4,035k Aux eng lube volume = 150K ltrs Aux eng lube spend 2020 = $247.5k $/L = $1.65 11 x 150L x $1.65/L |
N/A | $2,722.50 |
| *** Reduced number of lube oil interventions in 2020 reduces personnel hours required | 11 x 1hr x $100 | N/A | $1,100 |
| SMARTGAINS Total | $148,902.50 | ||