WinGD, a Swiss marine power firm, has launched a pilot project for a new engine diagnostics system designed to make engine maintenance easier for crew and fleet management.
WiDE (WinGD Integrated Digital Expert), an upgrade to WinGD’s engine monitoring and remote assistance platform, is being tested on a vessel operated by Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM).
The trial installation will monitor five critical engine components (cylinder liners, piston rings, exhaust valves, fuel pumps, and fuel injectors), proposing condition-based maintenance intervals based on algorithms that estimate their remaining useful life.
“When we approached WinGD for the project we knew that the move towards predictive maintenance was an important element in our strategy using digital tools to reduce costs, improve safety and maximise availability for our customers,” said Theodore Ioannou, technical superintendent of BSM Group.
The experimental ship is a BSM-managed LNG gas carrier powered by two five-cylinder WinGD X72DF engines.
All WinGD engines, according to the company, are equipped with the hardware necessary to activate WiDE. Subscribers have access to remote help from WinGD operations specialists and the WiDE 24×7 emergency response team, in addition to ongoing engine performance data records, insights, and automatic advice.
