Casualty expert blames poor quality machinery

Shipowners and underwriters are forking out “staggering” amounts for engine damage, a leading marine engineer and casualty expert has warned.

Both “man?s inhumanity to machinery” and poor products are to blame, the Society of Consulting Marine Engineers and Ship Surveyors? president, John Lillie, told a meeting in London of the International Institute of Marine Surveying.

“Over the last 170 years or so, marine engineers have used, abused and endured the machinery imposed on them by shipowners involved in what appeared to be a malign conspiracy with manufacturers to supply machinery that was at best, poorly designed and at worst, downright unworkable,” said Mr Lillie.

“My personal opinion is that the drive for capital cost reduction, operational efficiency, fuel economy, and environmental acceptability, have allowed the computer generated engine to become a reality without taking into account the failure of humans to perform like machines.

“Even if the optimally designed and beautifully constructed machine performs perfectly when new (and we know that few do) they will not survive the subsequent sale and purchase market, so that the ownership spiral exposes the human weakness which could only have been addressed by more robust machinery at the beginning.”

Breakdowns are thus a serious problem even in ships of five years old and less.

Mr Lillie said: “Nearly 10% of main engine damages happen to new vessels. This is not just down to operators; the quality of many newly-delivered engines leaves a lot to be desired.”

Typical casualty statistics show that, by number of incidents, machinery damage is far and away the largest category at 40% plus. Machinery damage represents only 19% of the cost of claims, and “perhaps this accounts for the continued unbelievable complacency amongst some hull underwriters,” Mr Lillie said, but added that percentages could be misleading. “In an insurance market the size of London?s, the overall cost of machinery claims is still staggering. These statistics, and others very like them, have been presented year after year at the International Union of Marine Insurance annual conferences, but again, nothing ever seems to change.”

The major costs are in the crankshafts of both main and auxiliary engines, predominantly caused by human factors, through inadequate lubrication of the machinery.

Turbocharger damages stemmed primarily from poor combustion or poor control of other engine operating parameters and often involved broken piston rings and/or cylinder liners.

Despite the International Safety Management Code and other drives towards good communication, managers fail to pass on all sorts of information to their vessels.

“I suggest that more needs to be done if man?s inhumanity to machines is to be ended,” urged Mr Lillie.