When Parts Aren’t There

The Challenge
On an Aframax tanker, the fresh-water generator (FWG) was underperforming, forcing the vessel to rely on costly bunkered water and reducing voyage autonomy.
The owner had already ordered replacement parts, but OEM supply-chain delays meant critical components would not arrive in time.
With the vessel under tight charter commitments, downtime or performance loss was not an option — yet continued operation risked efficiency degradation and rising cost.

The Turning Point
Maritech was engaged to restore not only function but performance, identifying and solving the root cause without waiting for delayed spares.
• Performance Assessment – Onboard inspection confirmed reduced production and vacuum instability, pointing to backpressure in the air-brine ejector circuit and heat-transfer imbalance across the plate pack.
• Root Cause Analysis – The air-brine ejector pump showed erosion and excessive wear-ring clearance, reducing suction and vacuum efficiency. Meanwhile, deformed plates and aged gaskets caused internal leakage and loss of sealing integrity — restricting flow, increasing backpressure, and lowering evaporation and condenser efficiency.
• Rapid Parts & Fabrication – Using Maritech’s regional stock and on-demand manufacturing, critical components — including impeller and wear-ring assemblies — were produced and delivered within days. Fully compatible and precision-machined, they replaced delayed items and boosted vacuum and FWG performance.
• On-Site Service – Maritech technicians completed cleaning, plate refurbishment, gasket renewal, and ejector upgrades with improved parts, restoring vacuum stability, correct flow, and full design output.

The Result
✅ Production restored, exceeding pre-incident levels.
✅ Dependence on bunkered water eliminated.
✅ Equipment life extended through refurbishment and selective upgrades.
✅ No off-hire, with warranty-backed assurance.
What began as a supply-chain delay became a performance-recovery success story, driven by Maritech’s technical agility, insight, and integrated logistics.

Lessons Learned
When critical parts aren’t available, agility and root-cause engineering keep vessels operational. By combining diagnostics, regional readiness, and field precision, Maritech turned a supply-chain challenge into a clear operational win.

Strategic Outlook
This case embodies the OCEANSERV® – Preventive Care philosophy: early diagnostics, rapid response, and technical excellence. Beyond repair and supply, Maritech delivers predictable performance, optimized lifecycle cost, and sustainable reliability across shipboard systems worldwide.