Wärtsilä’s turbocharger service specialists performed a 12,000-hour overhaul on the cruise vessel AIDAvita. For Wärtsilä’s customers this means they can now overhaul the turbocharger at the same time as the engine. “Honestly, I was a little sceptical prior to the overhaul. But the performance from Wärtsilä’s technicians was awesome,” claims Thomas Piller, Ship Manager (AIDA cruise vessels) at Carnival Maritime GmbH.
During 2017, Wärtsilä opened tens of authorized turbocharger workshops globally, providing maintenance for turbochargers both on site and in workshops. The 12,000-hour maintenance of the main engine and turbocharger for AIDAvita is part of an
agreement between Carnival Corporation (the parent company of AIDA Cruises and Carnival Maritime) and Wärtsilä. “This was the first turbocharger overhaul in the AIDA fleet executed by Wärtsilä’s turbocharger service
specialists in the Netherlands,” says Mr. Piller.
Having a combined engine and turbocharger maintenance performed by Wärtsilä’s experienced Field Service professionals makes maintenance more flexible and faster, resulting in an optimized performance of the engine. These services can be
provided as a long-term maintenance solution, covering all types of equipment for the installations.
Mr. Piller describes the opening of authorized Wärtsilä Turbocharger Services workshops as a good initiative, providing him with
an alternative to the established vendors. “What’s most important for me, as a ship manager, is the performance and the final result of the job. And if all Wärtsilä turbocharger technicians perform like these guys on-board the
AIDAvita, I’m quite happy with the solution.”
According to Mr. Piller, it is of utmost importance to stick to the scheduled time dedicated for turbocharger maintenance, especially regarding a cruise vessel carrying thousands
of guests and hundreds of crew members. Turbocharger maintenance is vital for the overall performance of the engine. “A well-maintained planned maintenance system protects our sensitive systems and equipment in the engine and non-engine spaces,”
explains Mr. Piller.
Despite being a little sceptical prior to the overhaul, the customer was very satisfied with Wärtsilä’s performance, which far exceeded expectations. “The performance was awesome. All jobs were executed in a professional and excellent
way. The cooperation with the engine crew on-board was also perfect. I cannot remember having received such good service from any other provider before,” says Mr. Piller.
As a conclusion, we can clearly say that the quality of Wärtsilä’s
turbocharger services is high. “I have already requested this service team for our next overhaul,” summarizes Mr. Thomas Piller.
