Technology group Wärtsilä has signed a five-year Optimised Maintenance Agreement with the Irish Naval Service. The agreement, which covers four offshore patrol vessels, is designed to ensure operational reliability along with long-term cost predictability. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in January 2024.

“We have had good experience with Wärtsilä over the years, and we have great trust in their capabilities. This agreement will help us to achieve the level of efficiency and reliability that we aim for, which in turn will improve the environmental performance of these ships,” says Lieutenant Commander Cian O’Mearain.

The scope of the agreement includes Maintenance Planning and 24/7 remote operational support, including Wärtsilä’s Expert Insight, a digital predictive maintenance solution which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced diagnostics to monitor onboard equipment and systems in real-time. Specialists at Wärtsilä Expertise Centres are assigned to follow the situation and support customers with proactive advice should it be deemed necessary or appropriate.

The agreement provides close coverage of the ships’ engines, propulsion machinery and shaft seals. It also includes crew training services, a technical advisor, maintenance planning, full operational support, and all scheduled maintenance spare parts.

As a result of this operational support, unplanned downtime is reduced significantly, and nearly all issues can be resolved remotely.

“Optimised Maintenance Agreements are an integral part of Wärtsilä’s lifecycle support strategy. They are tailored to the customer’s unique needs by combining the right services and solutions into a comprehensive agreement package. In other words, we provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ support and we minimise the environmental impact by optimising the maintenance services,” commented Lee Martindale, General Manager – Sales, Wärtsilä.

Each of the four vessels operates with two Wärtsilä 26 engines, two Wärtsilä controllable pitch propellers, two Wärtsilä gearboxes, two Enviroguard shaft seals and three Floodguard shaft seals.