North P&I warns on generator upkeep

The club highlighted the potentially severe consequences of inefficient generators that are unable to meet the electrical demands of ships at sea – something it sees as a common industry failing. The issue can be particularly acute on container ships that take on increased numbers of refrigerated containers without considering generator capacity.

North P&I reported incidents where reefers have been truned off to free sufficient power for berthing operations. This can lead to claims for damaged cargo when goods carried are temperature sensitive.

Colin Gillespie, deputy loss prevention director at North P&I, said: “In such cases the generators, if not perfectly maintained, may be unable to meet the combined power demand from the reefer containers when both the bow thrusters and mooring winches are being used. This has resulted in generators becoming overloaded and tripping out, leading to potentially dangerous blackout situations.”

The club noted the ever-more complex navigation, communication and safety systems – as well as essential on-board services and vital equipment such as cranes, winches and bow thrusters – for which generators provide power.

“People tend to think of generators in terms of their alternators, which have few moving parts and are quite robust,’ added Gillespie. ‘But the diesel engines that drive them need the same level of care as a ship’s main propulsion engines. Components wear, turbochargers get dirty, compression drops and combustion deteriorates. A good monitoring and maintenance regime, including sufficient spare parts, is essential.”