Your workboat is specifically designed to meet some of the most demanding requirements in the maritime industry to ensure the highest level of reliability, efficiency, and performance. However without maintaining the appropriate maintenance schedule you risk downtime.
Laborde Products is proud to support marine operators throughout the inland waterways with a tenured knowledge of servicing commercial diesel engines for a variety of industrial and marine applications.
# 1 Utilize a Fluid Analysis Program
The importance of proper oil and coolant can not be overstated. These fluids have a significant impact on the life of a diesel engine’s lubrication and cooling system. Routinely sampling both oil and coolant allows operators to address small issues before they become significant issues, and possibly allow for the extension of some recommended maintenance intervals.
# 2 Routine Maintenance
Maintaining your vessel's equipment in its best condition doesn’t have to be difficult. With routine maintenance checks, such as fluid changes, filter changes, belts, amongst others go a long way in preventing time and money lost. Most importantly planning for these routine checks may account for surprises you could encounter while on a job.
# 3 Planned Maintenance
Major maintenance items such as top end overhauls are extremely important to maximizing the life of any marine diesel engine as well as reducing unscheduled downtime. Top End Overhauls generally include replacement of cylinder heads and injectors, maintenance items such as filters, belts, and thermostats, and a full inspection of major external components. Manufacturers generally publish an hour based or fuel consumption based top end overhaul interval, based on data from engines in a wide variety of applications. Sticking to the recommended intervals as closely as possible will help minimize the risk of downtime.
# 4 Periodic Inspections
Inspections are wellness checks - and help identify the overall well being of your diesel marine engine. Inspections can provide insight on items that need to be addressed immediately to prevent failure, and items that can be backlogged and addressed during a planned downtime period. Laborde Products has developed a Vessel Inspection Form that addresses key components on a vessel’s main engines and auxiliary power.
# 5 Partner With Your Provider
Another key component to reducing vessel downtime is partnering with your diesel engine marine provider. Laborde Products, for example, has more combined Mitsubishi marine experience than any service option in the market, and offers solutions for all vessel operators. These solutions can empower mariners to maintain their diesel engines on their own, together with Laborde Products, or exclusively through Laborde Product’s or one of its many Authorized Dealers.
