MSA-Service Noord solves ECS problems on Clearwater Ship Management's ship Capewater in record time
He started as a maritime student, progressed to the role of chief engineer and now works as a technical superintendent at Clearwater Ship Management, a job that fits him like a glove. After sixteen years, Robbert Moerenhout switched from ship to shore. The reason was a shortage of people in the technical department. Robbert: ‘I left the ship Coastalwater in December 2022. I now spend my days providing technical support to our chemical and oil tankers from shore. I have short communication lines with companies that provide support with maintenance or issues.’ In his new role, Robbert also came into contact with the MSA-Service Noord team. ‘They did everything they could to solve the problems with our Engine Control System on the ship Capewater quickly and adequately. If any issue occurs again, I will immediately call MSA-Service Noord!
When the ship Capewater, which started sailing in 2009, had issues with the alarm system from the Engine Control System, an inconvenient situation arose. Robbert: ‘There were a lot of sensor errors that could be traced back to the printed circuit boards and our PLCs. These older industrial computers started to get overheated with the result that everything always broke down on one of the electricity groups.’ Who to call for a solution? After some inquiries, it turned out to be MSA-Service Noord.
Engine Control System: All knowledge in-house
Robbert: ‘The MSA-Service Noord team turned out to have all the know-how of our Engine Control System. The MSA employees had earlier been active in several roles at Wärtsilä Netherlands for many years. It turned out that they had even worked on the development of Engine Control Systems. My email with questions was answered that very same day.’ The MSA-Service Noord team did everything they could to get the Engine Control System working again. Robbert: ‘With the screenshots with instructions we were able to solve the problems really quickly. And they also had original parts for our Engine Control System available which was great as components of older systems are often difficult to get. After an hour of on-site assistance, the problem was solved. Call the MSA-Service Noord team for these types of challenges: they have all the knowledge in-house and it provides great convenience.’
Fully operational ECS in two days
However, the Engine Control System did need to be replaced and MSA-Service Noord therefore advised switching to a new system. Robbert: ‘Coincidentally, at that time we were already preparing great maintenance for which the ship would go into the dock. With the aim of preventing damage and downtime in the future, we followed the advice of MSA-Service Noord. They said that everything should be arranged in one or two days. I had some doubts about that. But when the ship was in the dock, the new Engine Control System from MSA-Service Noord was already ready. And indeed, the system was fully operational in two days which is really surprisingly fast.’
Plug and play ECS-installation
MSA-Service Noord convinces a lot of customers with their plug and play formula. The Engine Control System is developed, produced and tested in-house at MSA-Service Noord, from hardware to software. Robbert: ‘When I asked Wim Haar, owner of MSA-Service Noord, if he wanted to wait for the engine to start, he said firmly that he was absolutely sure that everything would work. And indeed, everything worked. I was quite impressed by that.’
Training the crew for the use of the new Engine Control System turned out to be unnecessary. Robbert: ‘The control panel speaks for itself. During the installation, the MSA-Service Noord employees also took the time to answer questions and explain things which is very useful. And even now, if anything happens, I know that they are completely at my disposal.’
In his first year as a superintendent, Robbert had no fewer than three ships docked for maintenance. That requires a lot of guidance and preparation. Dozens of things need to be taken care of in one day. ‘I have sailed intensively with almost every ship from Clearwater Ship Management which means that I know very well what is going on board, technically speaking. I quickly have possible solutions ready. Still, it is great that we can rely on the know-how and experience of suppliers like MSA-Service Noord.’