Svitzer signs ten-year service deal with Rolls-Royce

Maersk group subsidiary, Svitzer AS, has signed a ten-year preventive maintenance agreement with Rolls-Royce, covering spare parts planning and delivery for 17 tugs operating in six countries, powered by MTU-brand Series 4000 engines. The cost of the maintenance service is tied to engine uptime and is a version of the power-by-the-hour concept, developed by Rolls-Royce Marine prior to its acquisition by Kongsberg.

The deal requires the Rolls-Royce business unit, Power Systems, to provide the correct spare parts for each engine at precisely the right time and in the right place for scheduled maintenance to take place. This structure is designed to allow Svitzer personnel to have full focus on the efficient operation and technical management of vessels whilst spare parts planning, scheduling and deliveries will be the responsibility of Rolls-Royce.

The vessels, which are stationed in Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany and the UK, include the first harbour tugs to be powered by high-speed diesel engines with a bollard pull of 90 tonnes. The group also includes the tug Svitzer Hermod, the first commercial vessel to be operated remotely. 

Svitzer’s chief technical officer, Evangelos Fragkoulis, commented: “It is our belief that the maintenance agreement with Rolls-Royce will give a great support on the current journey of Svitzer on defining the actual life-cycle costs of our main equipment components.”