Greek Tanker Company Buys AMOT Bearing Condition Monitoring System

An AMOT XTS-W bearing condition monitoring system has been acquired by Athens-based shipping company Minerva for one of its 28-strong tanker fleet, the MT Minerva Virgo. The 28,960 ton ABS Class vessel is powered by an MAN B&W 6S60MC-C engine and the contract was secured by AMOT's authorised Greek distributor, Gnomon Marine. It is understood that Minerva plans to upgrade the bearing protection on other ships within their fleet with the XTS-W system which uniquely detects wear of main, big end and crosshead bearings prior to steel-on-steel contact and before problems have developed. Proven to maximise revenues and reduce costs, it is now accepted by engine manufacturers and ship operators as the system for preventative maintenance of bearings in 2-stroke slow speed engines. The XTS-W continuously monitors all crank train bearings and thus avoids expensive unplanned repairs. In the near future it is expected that engine manufacturers will remove the requirement for open out inspections of bearings when the XTS-W is installed.