Establishing the optimum vessel maintenance approach based on system reliability and criticality analysis

Maritime maintenance is a key feature of the operational profile of a ship throughout its life cycle. In this paper, the application of the optimum maintenance approach onboard a Diving Support Vessel (DSV) is investigated through the introduction of the innovative Reliability and Criticality Based Maintenance (RCBM). At first, the study of the reliability and criticality analysis of the main systems of the vessel is performed. These include the Propulsion, Lifting, Anchoring & Hauling and Diving systems. Moreover, by using the Dynamic Fault Tree Analysis (DFTA) tool and the Birnbaum (Bir), Criticality (Cri) and Fussell-Vesely (F-V) reliability importance measures, the validation of the abovementioned results occurs. Remedial measures regarding the specific critical items/components identified are also suggested and introduced in terms of dynamic ‘SPARE’ gates in the DFT structure for each main system examined. Based on the results obtained with this approach, further suggestions and discussion for each one of the subject systems takes place.