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Scheduled maintenance · Europe-wide

Marine diesel engine service across Europe.

Planned maintenance carried out on board by marine diesel specialists — service intervals, oil and filter work, injector and valve service, cooling and fuel systems. Based in the Netherlands, travelling to vessels throughout Europe and worldwide on request.

Intervals
250 – 12,000 hours
Coverage
Europe-wide, worldwide on request
Engines
2 – 4 stroke, 100 kW and up
Records
Per-vessel maintenance history
Why planned service pays

Maintenance is the cheapest engine work you will ever buy

Almost every emergency callout we attend has a maintenance story behind it: an injector that was overdue, a raw water pump that had been weeping for a season, coolant that was never tested. Marine diesel engines are extremely tolerant of hard work and extremely intolerant of neglect. Servicing them on time, with the right measurements recorded, is what keeps an engine reaching 20,000 hours instead of surprising you at 8,000.

We carry out manufacturer-interval maintenance on marine main engines and auxiliaries, on board and on your schedule, anywhere in Europe. Every visit leaves a record behind: readings, parts used, wear findings, and what to watch before the next interval.

Scope of work

What a service visit covers

IntervalTypical work
250 – 500 hOil and filter change, fuel and air filters, coolant test, belt and hose inspection, visual leak check, alarm test, logged readings.
1,000 – 2,000 hValve clearance adjustment, injector inspection or replacement, turbocharger inspection, crankcase breather, raw water pump and impeller, anode renewal, heat exchanger check.
3,000 – 6,000 hInjection equipment overhaul, cooler cleaning and pressure testing, exhaust system inspection, bearing and running-gear condition assessment, alignment check.
6,000 – 12,000 hTop-end or full overhaul planning, cylinder head reconditioning, liner and piston assessment. See engine overhaul.
Intervals differ per engine family and per duty rating. We work to the manufacturer's schedule for your specific engine and adapt to how the vessel is actually used — a yacht doing 200 hours a season needs a different plan from a shadow vessel doing 2,000.
Beyond the checklist

Condition monitoring, not box-ticking

  • Recorded operating data — exhaust temperatures per cylinder, boost pressure, oil pressure, crankcase pressure and fuel rack position, compared with the previous visit.
  • Oil and coolant analysis — wear metals, fuel dilution, soot and water content tell you about bearings, liners and injectors long before an alarm does.
  • Fuel system hygiene — tank condition, water separation, filter differential and microbial growth, the single most common cause of mid-passage failures.
  • Cooling system integrity — inhibitor levels, raw water side fouling, anode consumption and heat exchanger performance.
  • Vibration and alignment — checked as part of service so that mount and coupling wear is caught early.
Who we work for

Yachts, management companies, yards and commercial fleets

We are brought in by chief engineers who want a specialist for the diesel scope, by yacht management companies covering several vessels, by shipyards during refit and warranty periods, and by commercial operators who cannot afford unplanned downtime. Work is quoted per scope, invoiced clearly, and documented per vessel so that the next engineer inherits a complete history.

Servicing is available on Caterpillar / CAT, Cummins, MAN and MTU engines, and on the generator sets built around them. We are independent and not an authorised dealer of any manufacturer.

Coverage

Where we service engines

Northern Europe — Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and the UK — and the Mediterranean, including Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, the Côte d'Azur, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Greece and Turkey. Also the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal, and further afield on request. Full detail on the service areas page.

Questions we get asked

Frequently asked questions

How often should a marine diesel engine be serviced?

Follow the manufacturer interval for the specific engine and duty rating — commonly oil and filters every 250 to 500 hours, valve and injector attention around 1,000 to 2,000 hours, and major work between 6,000 and 12,000 hours. Engines that sit idle for months need calendar-based service as well as hour-based service.

Can you service engines during a yard period?

Yes, and it is often the most efficient time. We coordinate with the yard schedule so engine work runs alongside other trades instead of blocking them.

Do you keep records of what was done?

Every visit produces a per-vessel record: measurements, parts fitted, wear findings and recommendations. It is written to be handed straight to an owner, manager or surveyor.

Can you take over maintenance from another supplier?

Yes. We start with a condition assessment so that we know what we are inheriting, then set out a maintenance plan from that baseline.

Do you cover generators as well as main engines?

Yes — auxiliary and emergency generator sets are serviced on the same visit wherever possible. See our generator service page.

Service enquiry

Tell us about the engine and the vessel.

Send the details below and you will hear back from an engineer, not a call centre. For a vessel that is stranded or on a tight departure slot, call +31 6 20743967 or message us on WhatsApp.

Direct line

Book maintenance around the vessel’s programme.

Send the engine types, running hours and the window you have available. You get a scoped quotation and a date — not an open-ended day rate.

Superyacht Engine Service — powered by Marine Service Altena B.V.
+31 6 20743967 · info@superyachtengineservice.com
KvK 99330911 · Available for callout across Europe
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