Marine and offshore condition monitoring in practice: documented success stories
Marine and offshore operations place high demands on reliability, ship safety, and maintenance planning. Condition monitoring is a viable option for most vessels and is widely utilized in condition-based maintenance programs across the marine and offshore industry.
SPM Marine & Offshore is part of SPM Instrument, providing high-performance solutions that support reliable operations at sea and offshore, with a focus on technology that enhances long-term machinery reliability. Through this dedicated subsidiary, these solutions are delivered to shipowners and offshore operators worldwide.
The following success stories illustrate how evaluated condition information has been used in real marine and offshore applications to support planned maintenance.
Condition-based maintenance onboard vessels and offshore units
Maintenance onboard vessels has traditionally been based on running time. Increasing demands on the environment, reliability, and ship safety have led classification societies to adopt condition monitoring as an alternative to time-based maintenance.
Condition-based maintenance utilizes routine measurements and inspections to provide early warnings before failure and can also serve as an alternative to opening machines for scheduled inspections. SPM Marine & Offshore provides condition monitoring solutions for the marine and offshore industry, supporting condition-based maintenance on over a thousand vessels. This enables operators to plan maintenance effectively, reducing unnecessary work and spare part consumption.
Three success stories from marine and offshore applications
One success story describes how an earth fault was detected in an electric propulsion motor in an electric propulsion system onboard a construction support vessel. Using an Intellinova Compact online condition monitoring system, the motor fault was detected at an early stage. Analysis using the AI-powered Decision Support System showed that the increase was present in both observed trends. This allowed motor replacement to be planned and scheduled at a suitable time.
In one case, bearing damage on the fast-line side of a crown block sheave at an offshore drilling rig was monitored for 15 months before replacement was made. After the monitoring system was installed, the first indication of bearing damage appeared in the FFT, showing a clear match with BPFO. Using the Decision Support System, a gradual increase in health score trend for BPFO with HD ENV4 was observed over time. After replacement, the bearing damage was visually verified.
In another case, bearing damage in a crown-mounted compensator at an offshore drilling rig was monitored for several monthsbefore it was replaced. Following system installation, early indications of outer race bearing damage were identified in the FFT with a clear correlation to BPFO. Analysis using the Decision Support System revealed a gradual increase in the health score trend for BPFO with HD ENV4. Because the bearing condition could be tracked over time, planned maintenance was possible. After replacement, the outer race bearing damage was visually confirmed.
Condition monitoring solutions for marine and offshore equipment
SPM Marine & Offshore offers condition monitoring solutions for rotating machinery such as pumps, fans, turbochargers, azipods, and electrical motors. Vibration monitoring equipment is used where problems such as alignment issues, impeller problems, gear faults, or balancing issues occur. For slowly rotating machinery, the patented SPM HD® technique provides high signal quality and precise spectrums for analysis.
For drilling rigs, critical equipment causing direct production downtime can be monitored 24/7. The Intellinova condition monitoring system combines vibration analysis techniques with patented SPM HD technology for advanced bearing and gear condition monitoring at rotational speeds as low as 0.1 rpm. Applications include top drives, crown blocks, fast-line sheaves, traveling blocks, drawworks, and mud pumps.
For offshore vessels, mission equipment such as cranes, tensioners, and winches can be monitored using a combination of vibration and shock pulse techniques. Patented SPM HD technology enables condition monitoring at ultra-low rotational speeds, supporting early detection of mechanical condition changes.