Significantly extended time between overhauls (TBO) help reduce costs and emissions
Rolls-Royce/mtu
Rolls-Royce has significantly increased time between overhauls (TBO) up to 96,000 hours for some load profiles. As a result, its mtu Series 4000 engines, which are used in tugboats, ferries, and numerous other vessel types worldwide, not only reduce downtime due to maintenance or overhauls, but also reduce costs by enabling continuous operation.
Use Case: Tugboats
Tugboats play a vital role in port operations globally. Any downtime, whether planned or unexpected, can significantly disrupt smooth operations. Therefore, operators aim to minimize both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance downtime throughout the vessel's lifecycle. The following use case illustrates how this challenge can be addressed with optimized TBO.
Use Case: Ferries with Intermittent Load
Ferries that operate based on seasonal business exhibit a fluctuating load profile due to their intermittent nature, and this variability is reflected in the data.
Use Case: Ferries with Medium Load
Unlike seasonal tourist ferries that experience fluctuations in demand during peak and off-peak periods, commercial passenger ferries operate continuously throughout the year. In the following use case, Rolls-Royce provides insights into how this type of operation impacts the time between overhauls.