Shell Marine launches 24/7 onboard monitoring service to improve vessel uptime in shipping

The new service acts as a 'digital deckhand', continuously monitoring oil condition to help crews manage and maintain equipment across a vessel proactively to prevent unplanned downtime.

Designed to detect maintenance issues early, SMSS allows crews to act on them before they become critical. This helps prevent equipment failure while unlocking the opportunity to optimise oil top-ups and extend oil drain intervals in high-speed engines.

Machinery damage or failure represented the number one cause of shipping incidents and casualties in 2024 (accounting for 56% of the total).[1] SMSS helps operators address this issue by providing crews with greater visibility over equipment health and greater control over vessel resilience.

Built specifically for marine environments, the plug-and-play system consists of just two components – an inline sensor and a pre-configured display with a simple traffic-light interface. It works offline, providing readings on equipment condition 24/7 to give crews instant onboard alerts when issues like water ingress and oil degradation occur.

With this new service, crews are not alone at sea. In addition to onboard alerts, sensor data can be shared with Shell’s shore-based Technical Experts for deeper analysis and trend monitoring.

This enables Shell to provide tailored recommendations that help crews translate data into safe, confident action.

Houda Dabboussi, President of Shell Marine, said: "One of the biggest challenges our customers face is how to keep operations resilient while managing costs. Shell Marine Sensor Service helps operators and crews address that challenge by enabling them to act on issues earlier, extend equipment life and reduce the risk of costly downtime."

Marcus Schaerer, Shell Marine General Manager of Technical and Services, further added “While the sensor may be a simple two-component device, the beauty of this solution lies in the advice that our Technical Experts provide. With over a century of maritime experience and our vast database of lubricant test results, we can provide customers with invaluable insights for safer and more efficient voyages.”

SMSS builds on a vessel's existing maintenance practices and complements sample-based oil condition analysis. Providing continuous oil condition data, it bridges the gap between shore-based tests, flagging anomalies that occur between samples and highlighting issues that might otherwise go unseen until it is too late.

Available to use for all engine types, it helps crews to adopt a proactive, condition-based approach to maintaining equipment.

SMSS adds to Shell’s existing oil condition monitoring portfolio, including Shell LubeAnalyst and Shell LubeMonitor. Together, they offer a full suite of solutions designed to help operators improve vessel uptime, reduce maintenance costs and optimise oil drain intervals.

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/offshore-and-subsea/03112025/shell-marine-launches-247-onboard-monitoring-service-to-improve-vessel-uptime-in-shipping/