Proper catering and laundry equipment service during layup and restart makes a big difference in the ship owners’ wallets
Naturally, the equipment onboard was never designed for long, unplanned layups like the ones the industry is experiencing today. Managing the equipment, meaning performing a proper switch-off and maintenance during layup, but also conducting a thorough recommissioning, saves money and ensures the ship is ready for action when the ship bell starts ringing again.
Blog Post by Nicolas Lesbats, Vice President Service Division at ALMACO
Keeping track of the needs and recommendations for every single piece of equipment during layup can understandably become a major hassle onboard. Many ships have a minimal crew at work that might not necessarily be trained for attending to some of the tasks that they are now expected to perform. This can result in equipment damage, unnecessary energy consumption and delays once the ship is ready to sail off again. And naturally, this all costs big money.
5 basic things to remember to protect the equipment and save costs
No worries, there are several easy things that can be done to avoid accidents, equipment damage and restart failure when the equipment needs to be shut down for a long period of time.
- The first thing that I want to put emphasis on is safety. All maintenance staff should be qualified for the task and wear proper personal protection equipment. Accidents happen easily, so make sure power is switched off and be aware of hot water or steam that might remain in the equipment.
- It’s especially important to check that no liquids or food are left inside the equipment as it can lead to growth of bacteria, mold and other microbes inside the equipment. Read the instruction manuals on how to shut down the equipment properly. Galley equipment, like deep fat fryers, ovens, food processors and dish washers, are especially susceptible to germ growth.
- When cleaning the equipment, only use chemicals recommended by the manufacturer. High pressure water and tools made of other that stainless steel or plastic should always be avoided, since they can damage the equipment severely.
- While disassembling and reassembling the equipment for layup, take the opportunity to check for damaged parts and replace them while you are at it.
- Once the equipment is properly dismounted, leave all doors slightly open and cover up the equipment with a blanket or a plastic sheet for protection.
These 5 steps will save you from most of the potential immediate equipment damage. But there is more to be done. The equipment also needs to be recommissioned before being taken back into use.
What is the most cost-efficient way to recommission the equipment?
The short answer is proper recommission with the help of ALMACO’s OEM certified team that goes through every single piece of equipment at the same time. If your ships are laid up in close proximity to one another, additional cost savings can be made by recommissioning the equipment of all the ships during the same booking.
Most ships have a lot of galley and laundry equipment to attend to and it can be an overwhelming task to get every single detail right. Our engineers are ready to jump in and take care of the whole project in a cost-efficient way that is consistent with the OEM instructions and saves you from unnecessary equipment damage and energy consumption.
These are challenging times, but this particular task doesn’t have to be a hassle. Lean back in your chair and let ALMACO’s certified engineers help you with all of these tasks; shutting down and cleaning the equipment properly, performing tests as well as maintaining and recommissioning the equipment to ensure everything is functioning 100 % efficiently and safely when it’s time to sail off.
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