Rolls-Royce and Svitzer sign long-term service agreement for MTU engines
Rolls-Royce has signed a 10-year service agreement with leading global towage and marine services operator Svitzer A/S. The agreement – named Global Frame Value Care Agreement (VCA) – covers spare parts deliveries in 6 countries for a fleet of 17 tugs powered by MTU-brand Series 4000 engines, the company said in its release. In it, the cost of maintenance services is being tied to the engine up-time. This is the first maintenance contract of its kind to be signed by Svitzer. The preventive maintenance arrangement preserves engine availability for Svitzer while contributing to optimal life-cycle costs.
Danish founded towage company Svitzer currently operates 17 vessels with MTU Series 4000 units on board. Among them are the world's first harbor tugs with 90 tons bollard pull powered by high-speed diesel engines. These have been in service in the Tanger-Med cargo port in Morocco since 2018. Other vessels are deployed in Brazil, Costa-Rica, Denmark, Great Britain and Germany. Also included in the fleet is the tug Svitzer Hermod, the first commercial vessel to demonstrate remote operation, which is likewise powered by twin MTU 16V4000 M63 diesel units. As part of the agreement, the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems will ensure that exactly the right spare parts for a vessel are made ready in the right place at the right time for each scheduled maintenance. This approach will allow Svitzer to have focus on efficiency in the technical management and operation of the vessels in scope, while spare parts planning, scheduling and deliveries are handled by Rolls-Royce.
“As part of the current Technical Operating Model within Svitzer we want to focus further on our main equipment performance and reliability. 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” said Evangelos Fragkoulis, Chief Technical Officer of Svitzer.
By enabling technical data to be captured and processed on an ongoing basis, digitalization has opened up a number of new possibilities in the field of proactive maintenance management. These are being realized already by Rolls-Royce as part of Customer Service 4.0, with new digital products such as MTU-Go!Act and MTU-Go!Manage providing solution strategies especially suited to the needs of fleet operators, among others.
Svitzer is part of the Maersk group. With a 4,000-strong workforce it operates 440 vessels in 120 ports across 34 countries. In addition to towage services in ports and terminals, Svitzer provides a wide range of other marine services, including emergency response.
