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A tanker planned maintenance system (PMS) is software used to schedule, execute and document preventive maintenance across tanker machinery, cargo systems and safety-critical equipment. It gives vessel crews and shore-based technical teams a structured maintenance plan based on calendar intervals, running hours, equipment condition and regulatory requirements.
For tanker operators, the PMS is more than a maintenance schedule. It creates the equipment and maintenance history needed to demonstrate that critical systems have been maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations, classification society requirements and the ISM Code. These records also support inspections and tanker vetting programmes such as SIRE.
Unlike a generic maintenance system, a tanker PMS must account for equipment and operating conditions specific to tanker vessels, including cargo pumps, inert gas systems, cargo heating systems, pressure/vacuum valves, mooring equipment and emergency shutdown systems.
A tanker PMS connects the vessel’s equipment hierarchy with recurring maintenance jobs, inspection requirements and maintenance history.
Each component can have maintenance tasks triggered by different criteria. Machinery such as main and auxiliary engines may use running-hour-based maintenance, while other equipment follows calendar intervals or condition-based requirements. Safety-critical systems may also require recurring tests and inspections.
As maintenance becomes due, the system provides crews with scheduled jobs and the information needed to complete them. Once work is performed, completion dates, responsible personnel, findings and supporting documentation become part of the equipment’s maintenance history.
This creates a traceable record of what was maintained, when it was completed and what work is due next — rather than relying on spreadsheets, paper records or disconnected maintenance logs.
An effective tanker planned maintenance system should support the maintenance workflow from equipment registration through planning, execution and reporting.
Core capabilities include:
These capabilities turn the PMS into the operational maintenance record for the vessel rather than simply a digital maintenance calendar.
Tankers introduce maintenance requirements that are not present across every vessel type.
Cargo pumps and associated valves require maintenance aligned with manufacturer recommendations and operating conditions. Inert gas systems, emergency shutdown systems and pressure/vacuum protection are safety-critical systems where testing and maintenance history must remain traceable. Mooring equipment, cargo heating systems and other deck machinery add further maintenance requirements alongside the vessel’s conventional propulsion and auxiliary machinery.
A tanker PMS therefore needs to provide a structured equipment hierarchy that reflects the actual vessel and allows maintenance requirements to be assigned to the correct equipment.
This is particularly important across tanker fleets, where standardised equipment structures and maintenance libraries allow technical teams to compare maintenance status and performance across sister vessels.
Not all tanker maintenance can be managed with a calendar.
Main engines, auxiliary machinery, pumps and other rotating equipment frequently require servicing after defined operating hours. A planned maintenance system therefore needs to track running hours and use them to calculate when the next maintenance task becomes due.
At the same time, calendar-based inspections and maintenance requirements continue independently.
Combining these interval types gives crews and technical superintendents a reliable view of due, upcoming and overdue maintenance, helping them plan work before maintenance becomes operationally critical.
Maintenance records are an important part of demonstrating that a tanker is being maintained systematically.
The ISM Code requires companies to establish procedures for maintaining ships and equipment, while classification societies and other maritime authorities may require evidence of maintenance and inspection history.
For tanker operators, the same maintenance record can also support TMSA, SIRE and other inspection processes. The objective should not be to reconstruct maintenance documentation immediately before an inspection. The PMS should create that evidence continuously as part of normal vessel operations.
This is where planned maintenance connects naturally with SIRE 2.0 inspection preparation without making SIRE the primary topic of this page.
The terms PMS and CMMS are sometimes used interchangeably, but their emphasis is different.
A planned maintenance system primarily focuses on scheduling and documenting recurring preventive maintenance according to time, running hours, condition or regulatory requirements.
A tanker CMMS has a broader computerized maintenance management scope that can include corrective maintenance, defects, work orders, asset history, spare parts and maintenance reporting alongside planned work.
In modern maritime software, these capabilities increasingly exist within the same integrated maintenance platform. The distinction is therefore primarily about the maintenance function being discussed rather than necessarily two separate software systems.
STAR Suite™ connects planned and corrective maintenance with equipment information, condition reporting and the wider vessel maintenance workflow.
Maintenance plans can be managed according to operational requirements, while technical teams can track failures and breakdowns, create work and service requests, manage complex jobs with sub-tasks and use maintenance information when preparing for dry-docking.
By keeping maintenance information connected across vessel and shore operations, STAR Suite™ gives crews the tools to execute maintenance while giving technical management visibility into maintenance status and vessel reliability.
For tanker operators, this provides a structured foundation for maintaining critical machinery and cargo systems while supporting the documentation discipline required for class, ISM and tanker inspections.
Tanker CMMS — computerized maintenance management covering planned and corrective maintenance, work history and maintenance control.
Tanker management software — the broader management platform connecting maintenance with compliance and other tanker operations.
SIRE vetting software — how structured maintenance and compliance records support tanker vetting.
SIRE 2.0 inspection preparation — the inspection-preparation process surrounding OCIMF SIRE 2.0.