Previous Article: 16 Sept 2013 "Implemenation of Policies at MG KAILIS"

Level of Support and Implementation Company Wide

To begin with, it was very difficult to convince the Managers and Engineering staff within MG Kailis Group that oil could be left to run in an engine or gearbox for more than 250 hours without detrimental affects. Once it was demonstrated that the condition of the synthetic oil at 3,000 hours was better than the mineral oil at 250 hours then attitudes began to change. The engineers reached the mindset that , without fail, they carry out oil samples at 250 hours and this has many times provided advance warning of an engine or gearbox failure and allowed MG KAILIS to fix the problem before it occurs (thereby preventing downtime and huge cost).

Not only do synthetic oils enable them to carry out extended drains but also the marine maintenance team are able to focus on proper maintenance rather than continual oil changes that are time consuming and require huge stocks of oil on site.

Maintenance levels naturally develop to a high standard whilst using synthetic oil, as Engineering personnel have to be careful not to waste oil due to the expensive nature of the oil. Most diesel engines have oil leaks at some stage and as the cost of mineral oil is not a problem many do not attend to these leaks with a matter of urgency. If leaks are left then the oil can leak into the bilge of the vessel and this is detrimental because the bilge is often pumped out into the ocean. These minor amounts of oil across many fleets combine and result in a huge volume being disposed of into the ocean. In comparison, even 1-2 litres of synthetic oil leaking per night equates to considerable cost hence action is taken very quickly to eliminate this problem.

Next article: "Factors relevant to the fishing industry"