All equipment is subject to wear and tear and will eventually reach the end of its useful life and need to be replaced. As equipment nears the end of its safe working life, its condition can deteriorate to a dangerous extent.
The purpose of maintenance, therefore, is to extend the useful life by repair and/or replacement of defective parts and to maintain it in a safe and serviceable condition.
The marine environment is particularly arduous for electrical equipment due to the damp, salt-laden atmosphere, extremes of temperature and constant vibration.
Shipboard equipment is in particular need of correct maintenance
The continuous operation of equipment on board ship demands high efficiency and optimum economy to help keep operational costs to a minimum.
An efficient electrical engineer must get to know the ship’s power system and its equipment.
The ship’s technical library must be kept in order and be updated to the actual condition of onboard applications.
Electrical services and equipment must be kept under continuous observation so that normal healthy operating conditions become known and abnormal operation becomes quickly apparent.
Faults should be pinpointed and corrected before a breakdown occurs.
Maintenance on ship electrical systems can be classified
• Breakdown maintenance
• planned maintenance
• condition monitoring
