October 26th, 2017: The 67-metre motoryacht Global was launched in 2007 by the renowned superyacht yard Lürssen in Hamburg. After a decade of sailing the yacht is now moored at ICON Refits in Harlingen for a thorough refit and maintenance programme.
Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology is involved in the electro-technical part of the refit, which includes a thermographic scan for preventative maintenance. The scan is performed with an infrared camera that records thermal images, clearly showing any hotspots which might indicate possible defects in the cabling, loose connections or defective components. Using this type of scan allows potential failures or worse to be tracked down and prevented. 
A key feature of the scan is that it can be performed while the vessel is fully operational and does not require any downtime. In fact it is crucial that everything on board is as realistic as possible during the scan and that all equipment runs as usual. On average, the scan takes around two days, after which a full report, including recommendations for repairs or adjustments, is submitted to the client.
Examples of possible problems detected include a specific component generating too much heat due to old age and causing excessive wear on other components as a result. Another option is that a switchboard has insufficient ventilation and overheats the interior. In this case, a solution may involve the installation of extra ventilation or active cooling. Overall, it is essential that loose wires or defective components are fixed or replaced as soon as possible. The application of preventative maintenance and an infrared scan can prevent any unnecessary downtime for the electrical installation (and even the yacht) in a planned, fast and efficient manner.