Engine insulation to be brought up to SOLAS standard in advance of required timeline
MAN PrimeServ, MAN Diesel & Turbo’s after-sales division, has confirmed an order from Norwegian Cruise Line for SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) insulation upgrades for nine ships, totaling 44 engines, from the company’s fleet.
The order covers the equipping of all engines with an output of over 375 KW with heat insulation, spray protection and resistance to flammability and fluid density, according to the SOLAS 220 convention. MAN 48/60B, 48/60A and 58/64 engine types will receive the upgrades, which represent the first such order from the Miami-based company. The project will be completed in 2018.
Giovanni Canu – Vice President, Technical Operations for Norwegian Cruise Line – underlined the importance of safety aboard the company’s fleet of vessels and employing the use of the modern solutions available.
Paolo Mele – Senior Vice President, Technical Operations for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings – said: “Safety is the top priority at Norwegian Cruise Line and we use all the tools available to ensure the safety of our guests, crew and ships and do so in a transparent fashion such that customers and crew can clearly see it, and in advance of regulatory requirements.”
Dr Thomas Spindler, Head of Upgrades and Retrofits, MAN PrimeServ Four-Stroke, said: “Planning the execution of the insulation upgrade – such that it takes place without disruption to normal cruise schedules – is a key element of this order; indeed, we have already started with the first Norwegian Cruise Line vessel. This is a very significant order for MAN PrimeServ, and I am certain it will not be the last as we are currently holding negotiations with other parties within this segment.”
MAN Diesel & Turbo considers this project a very good example of what it means to act as one global player for its customers worldwide and to execute projects as one big team. This project will be handled from MAN Headquarters PrimeServ Diesel Upgrade & Retrofit and local office, PrimeServ Fort Lauderdale, USA. Both Dr. Thomas Spindler and Michael Kontny (General Manager, PrimeServ Fort Lauderdale) see this as a very good platform to show customers how the company is able to operate worldwide and use resources established in recent years.
Rationale behind SOLAS
Hot spots can affect and damage other engine components, while splashing fuel-oil has the potential to result in engine-room fires as well as serious accidents to a ship’s crew.
In order to ensure conformity with SOLAS, MAN PrimeServ has carefully examined engine insulations and heat shielding after certain service periods over many years.
Results have shown that the MAN engines’ original SOLAS insulation displayed neither abrasive spots from operation nor any spots soaked with fluid or impermissible heat leakages.
Especially ships that were built before 2003 are not SOLAS-compliant and have to be upgraded through tailor-made solutions.
The SOLAS convention
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is an international maritime treaty that requires signatory flag states to ensure that flagged ships comply with minimum safety standards in construction, equipment and operation. The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships.
Source: MAN Diesel & Turbo