The Singapore-based turbocharger maintenance specialist is committed to supporting the IMO’s call to accelerate action in terms of decarbonisation
Tru-Marine, one of the world’s leading specialist third party providers of turbocharger maintenance and repair services, aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon zero by 2050, or sooner. Group marketing manager, Pey Pey Soh, says, “We are committed to the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) journey and are working towards creating sustained outcomes that drive value and fuel growth, such as reducing the carbon emissions of our operations through the installation of solar panels and energy-efficient equipment, and by exploring green efforts such as remanufacturing, smart technologies and sustainable energy generation.”
As a practical example the company has recently announced that its Singapore turbocharger service station now uses 100% renewable energy sources for its electricity needs. Tru-Marine has completed the installation of photovoltaic panels on the rooftop that enables it to reduce its reliance on utility power by up to 75%. Additionally, it has also been able to couple the solar panels with four smart charging stations on site.
Pey Pey says, “In just a month, our CO₂ avoidance stands at 13 tonnes. This equates to the CO₂ emissions of an average car over 100,000 kilometres; or the burning of over 4,000 litres of fuel oil, over 4,000 kilogrammes of hard coal, or in excss of 6,000 cubic metres of natural gas. It would take 1,074 trees to be planted in order to extract the same amount of CO₂ from the atmosphere within 10 years. With the rest of our power needs provided by a renewable energy retailer, we are taking our first steps towards reducing our carbon footprint and contributing to a cleaner and greener future.”
Solar panels installed on the roof of Tru-Marine’s Singapore service station
Other ongoing efforts include switching to more efficient LED lighting and the installation of energy-efficient high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) overhead fans.
To coordinate its activities Tru-Marine has set up an ESG Council, which champions policies, strategies and initiatives, and ensures alignment across all Tru-Marine service stations. The company currently has 10 stations in six countries. In addition to Singapore, these include facilities in China (Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhoushan, Guangzhou and Weihai), The Netherlands (Rotterdam), UAE (Dubai), Malaysia and Indonesia.
The company also embarked on a ESG road mapping exercise with DNV in the first quarter of 2023 to set clear targets for achieving sustainable development.
As an important step on this journey Tru-Marine will be implementing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) programme, to assess the environmental impacts associated with different stages of turbocharger maintenance and repair processes, with the goal of reducing carbon emission through component lifecycle extension and remanufacturing, for example. Pey Pey says, “LCA will be our central focus in identifying the greatest opportunities for reducing environmental and social impacts, from the choice of materials and green technologies with a higher degree of sustainability, to sound end-of-life recovery and waste management.”
Tru-Marine has also launched two product offerings, TruCare Predictive Maintenance-as- a-service and a cartridge exchange program, that support its ESG goal.
Designed for turbochargers onboard all ocean-going vessels, TruCare is the result of a strategic partnership between Tru-Marine, German turbocharger maker Kompressorenbau Bannewitz (KBB) and the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), in Singapore. It aims to enhance predictive maintenance of turbochargers, using IoT technologies, including edge and cloud computing, machine learning and digital twins. Key operational parameters will be transmitted from ship to a shoreside command centre for real-time data analysis, using machine learning algorithms and failure models to monitor turbocharger performance, predict failures and recommend maintenance windows.
TruCare detects the possibility of a fault and recommends service based on the actual operating conditions onboard, or whenever the need arises. Furthermore, TruCare can predict the optimal time for refurbishment or overhaul of turbocharger components, thereby extending fixed maintenance schedules. According to the company this addresses commonly occurring, premature turbocharger failures and associated high costs of emergency repairs, vessel downtime, off-hires and delayed port calls.
James Loke, group chief executive officer, Tru-Marine, adds, “TruCare is a disruptive digitisation approach in managing asset maintenance onboard vessels in a completely different way. More importantly, it is our response to the urgency of decarbonisation and shows our commitment to carbon reduction through turbocharger component lifecycle extension among other things.”
