The luxury motor yacht ‘Yas’, is one of the biggest privately-owned superyachts in the world and can accommodate 60 guests in 30 cabins.
The yacht had suffered repeated bearing failures due to misalignment of the shaft lines. Despite numerous replacements, the bearings quickly wore down again. The staff did not know the actual cause of the failures. The Wärtsilä Sea-Master System would have solved the problem.
Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and Wärtsilä made investigations, which led to a full shaft re-alignment. “It became evident that we needed condition monitoring information and data analysis to get a clear picture of the condition of the bearings, temperature, vibrations and so on. We decided to get the Wärtsilä Sea-Master system to gain true visibility of our operational data,” says Mr Bergström.
Predictability during operations
The customer ordered a complete Sea-Master System, with vibration and temperature sensors, operating panel and display, which was installed in January 2017. “The clear operating panel gave a good overview of all the information that we wanted and needed to see,” explains Mr Bergström.
After the installation, the yacht has made a couple of cruises in the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. “All information is conveyed in real time to the control room panel where the staff can see the generated data. It has been beneficial for them to monitor temperatures and vibrations at different loads. The system provides early warning for detection of rising failure issues with system alarm for critical components.”
The Wärtsilä Sea-Master system is approved in principle by DNV-GL and supports customers in meeting the requirements for TMON legislation. “Wärtsilä understood how important it is for the owner to have a fully operational and functional yacht. Also, when the TMON notation is fully operational, it will save us time because of fewer dockings, as unlimited intervals between tail shaft withdrawal surveys are allowed,” says Mr Bergström.
Mr Anders Bergström finds the Wärtsilä Sea-Master System useful for vessel owners. “You can monitor vibrations and temperature during different loads; get class notation, so you do not have to make shaft withdrawals. These are important benefits.”