Greek ferry operator Hellenic Seaways avoids downtime with a customized Turbo LifecycleCare service agreement.
Owned by Minoan Lines, Hellenic Seaways provides passenger and freight ferry services in the Aegean and Adriatic Seas, operating over 20 vessels, which connect a network of over 35 ports in the region.
Reputation is paramount when operating services such as those of Hellenic Seaways. When dealing with high volumes of individual consumers, the company’s reputation can be damaged almost instantaneously at the tap of a device with the trend of naming and shaming companies on social media and sending viral messages around the globe. The loss of returning and potential future customers is unquantifiable, a risk which all companies look to avoid. With the volume of traffic in the Hellenic Seaways operating areas, particularly during the high season, any delays in vessel operation can potentially harm the company’s reputation, but also incur unexpected additional costs, due to customer compensation claims and the urgent need to find alternative transport for stranded passengers.
The importance of ABB Turbo’s LifecycleCare service agreement
Preventing the potential costs associated with vessel downtime, either from a reputational or customer service point of view, requires consideration of both the operational and practical elements. Without a reliable agreement in place, finding a quick solution to get the ship up and running again takes time and is generally more expensive.
To ensure maximum availability and the continuous smooth sailing of their vessels, Hellenic Seaways opted for the ABB Turbo LifecycleCare service agreement. This agreement with ABB is designed to deliver a customized service that meets their operational needs. The ABB Turbo LifecycleCare agreement could provide the uptime guarantee required by Hellenic Seaways and in turn potentially eradicate any downtime costs.
Tailored service agreement to meet individual customer needs
Fostering a collaborative relationship with customers allows ABB to gain a deeper understanding of their customers’ business needs and therefore provide tailored services that address their unique businesses.
The Turbo LifecycleCare agreement delivers regular and flexible turbocharger maintenance to ensure performance, reducing the chance of a potential turbocharger malfunction affecting uptime. This, combined with ABB’s approach to package the plan to match the budget and business of the customer, made ABB the optimum choice for Hellenic Seaways to ensure maximum vessel availability and cost control.
ABB worked closely with Hellenic Seaways to ensure they tailored the package in a way that would ensure services continue to run smoothly whilst considering the actual operation hours and the equipment scheduling needs of the customer, such as visits to ports, overhauls and peak periods.
The benefits of long-term service agreements
Cost control is a constant issue for operators, so long-term agreements offer some predictability around costs. High performance turbocharging, with predictable maintenance costs removes uncertainty, making Turbo LifecycleCare appealing for Hellenic Seaways. But the benefits go beyond that of predictable spend. These agreements also provide peace of mind to the operator that repairs will be carried out quickly and to a high standard. The customized approach to these agreements gives the customer a priority service, providing a guaranteed timescale for repair which transfers the risk from the operator to the supplier, ABB Turbocharging.
Hellenic Seaways’ Turbo LifecycleCare agreement with ABB covers the 16 ABB TPL 69-A30 turbochargers on two passenger ferries – the Nissos Chios and the Nissos Mykonos. The uptime guarantee, which is tailored to Hellenic Seaways needs, ensures that ABB will return the turbochargers to full operation within the agreed number of hours if unexpected incidents should happen. This includes the time for the engineer to arrive onsite, plus the time to resolve the problem. Excessive wear and tear are also covered, as are all spare parts within their agreement. This customized approach from ABB will maximize uptime and reduce the chance of unwelcome surprises.
The result
Hellenic Seaways can now rely on a provider to supply consistently high performing turbochargers, predictable budgets and increased peace of mind. Sotiris Pateromichelakis, Purchasing Manager, Hellenic Seaways: “We have already had experience of a similar maintenance contract with our ship Highspeed VI, where we saw the advantages, such as a stable budget, no surprises throughout the year, immediate reaction from the local ABB team when needed and many others. But what makes the new agreement we recently signed with ABB more attractive is the guarantee that within 20 hours the turbochargers will be back in operation when unexpected incidents happen.”
| Challenges: | Solutions: | Results: |
| Technical problems can cause delays and disrupt ferry operations | Outsourced service and maintenance to ABB through a long-term agreement | Predictable budgeting |
| Financial losses due to potential compensation claims and expensive alternative transportation | Selection of Turbo LifecycleCare for broad scope, quality and customization | Reduction in downtime |
| Reputational loss due to customer dissatisfaction or Alternative service agreements do not target uptime specifically | Uptime guarantee with agreed time lines frame for fixing problems | Reassurance of both high performing turbochargers and high-quality maintenance, for satisfied customers |