Yara Marine Technologies ramps up scrubber service and after-sales

Yara Marine Technologies reaches all-time high service and after sales numbers in January and February despite coronavirus heavily affecting the scrubber market.

Yara Marine Technologies is expanding its green tech portfolio. However, the company, which was the first to launch the in-line scrubber, will still have scrubbers as a core product in years to come. As warranties end, ship-owners now find their way back to the supplier for service. Service agreements are the preferred choice amongst most clients.

– We experienced a sharp increase in after-sales, especially in long-term service agreements, as the warranty on several installations ended. January and February are both at an all-time high. We´ve spent the past couple of months building a leaner operation in our service and after-sales department, and I believe we are seeing the effects of this now, said CSO at Yara Marine Technologies, Aleksander Askeland.

Most engineers outside Yara Marine Technologies and the scrubber industry, still consider scrubbers as new equipment and still they lack experience on how to conduct preventative maintenance in an optimal way.

– Operational disruptions are expensive, and proper service minimizes the risk of downtime. Also, we see cases where service and maintenance are performed incorrectly, ending in very bad results. Correct preventative maintenance on the other hand makes you compliant, extends the life cycle of the scrubber, saves both time and spare parts and reduces overall operational costs, said Askeland.

The scrubber market went from booming to almost completely silent when the coronavirus struck. However, as the economy recovers, the price difference between HSFO and VLSFO increases steadily, and scrubbers are back on the agenda amongst ship-owners.

– In years to come, scrubbers will continue to be the only competitive alternative for ships running on oil. Still, we will not run on hydrocarbons forever, and at Yara Marine Technologies, we will not build scrubbers forever. Hence our heavy investment into green technologies for the maritime industry. We are driving the industry towards zero emission, first with SOX and NOX, and now with CO2, said Askeland.