Shell Marine Launches Sensor Service to Improve Vessel Uptime

Shell Marine has launched a new technical service, Shell Marine Sensor Service (SMSS), an onboard monitoring service that provides real-time insights into oil and equipment condition, helping shipping operators improve vessel uptime and operational resilience.

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 optimize 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). 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.

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 optimize oil drain intervals.