Page 30 - 2024 - Q4 - Minerva in Focus

MINERVA IN FOCUS 27 Dry docking projects | Purchasing Dept.

The Procurement Spare parts management: Ensuring availability
In spare parts management, our primary challenge is to ensure
Department's role the availability of the required parts for the planned maintenance
works and any potential contingencies during the repairs. Upon
is vital for all dry verification of the required parts from respective colleagues,
we prioritise the sourcing of long lead-time items such as main
docking projects engine components, propeller/shafting systems, and auxiliary
machinery parts. We also coordinate with trusted suppliers to
ensure timely delivery, establishing deadlines for the procure-
ment of essential parts to avoid delays that could extend the dry
docking period. Another practice we follow is pre-purchasing
in bulk to reduce costs and ensure availability during the dry
docking period.

Stores and consumables: Minimising storage and handling
Handling essential consumables that are required during dry
dock – such as valves, mooring and safety parts, packing, lubri-
cants, cleaning chemicals, gases, and accessories – for delivery
prior to dry dock or during the repairs period requires prompt
and extensive regional market search. We work with suppliers to
deliver these items directly to the shipyard to minimise storage
and handling.

Hull paints: Selection and delivery
Choosing the right hull paint is crucial for protecting the vessel
from corrosion and fouling. To achieve this, collaboration with
major industry partners is essential to develop tailored solutions
that meet each vessel’s needs, considering its operational profile,
dry docking interval, and adherence to environmental regulations.
Furthermore, bulk purchasing is a strategy we employ to reduce
by Giannis Lemos, costs and ensure availability throughout the dry docking period.
Head Fleet B,
Purchasing Department, Logistics & forwarding: Streamlining the process
Minerva Marine Inc. We develop a logistics plan that outlines delivery schedules for
spare parts, stores, and paints from global and regional sources,
storage facilities near the shipyard for easy access, and trans-
portation arrangements for oversized or sensitive products. We
manage customs clearance and documentation, coordinate for
timely delivery to the dry dock location, and make contingency
plans for unforeseen delays. The procurement team maintains
clear communication with all stakeholders, including suppliers,
shipyard personnel, logistics providers and, of course, attending
Superintendents, Masters, and Chief Engineers to avoid any
misalignment.
Budgeting: Managing costs effectively
Cost control is always our priority. Our main actions include
Dry docking is a critical closely monitoring the expenditures during the dry dock pe-
riod, regularly comparing actual costs with the budget and/or
phase in a vessel’s lifecycle, previously executed projects to identify potential overruns and
providing the opportunity to implementing cost-saving measures such as bulk purchasing
perform essential maintenance, and negotiating discounts with suppliers. After the dry dock, we
conduct a thorough review of the budget and actual expenses
inspections, and upgrades. to identify areas for improvement, with the aim of enhancing
cost efficiency for future dry dockings.
The Minerva procurement team has succeeded in effectively pre- The effective preparation for vessel dry dock repairs involves
paring spare parts, stores, hull paints, logistics, forwarding, and prompt planning across multiple aspects. In 2024, we have
budgeting for 27 vessels undergoing their dry dock repairs within managed to implement these best practices, successfully mi-
2024. Consistent work and delimited collaboration with industry nimising downtime, controlling costs, and ensuring our vessels
stakeholders and trusted logistics partners enhanced the efficiency are ready to resume operations promptly, all while maintaining
and success of the dry docking process. continuous improvement as our primary objective.

28 ISSUE 30 / Q4 2024