When the YWAM Koha docked in Tauranga, our team had the opportunity to solve a problem that plagues every long-serving vessel: how do you retain decades of engineering knowledge when crews rotate constantly?
Built in 1968 as a German buoy tender, this ship has served multiple missions across its 50-year life. Now, as a medical aid vessel serving remote Pacific Island communities, she is staffed entirely by volunteers, and the ship’s historical information was either paper-pased or stored in people’s heads. That meant the technical knowledge required to keep her in good trim and compliant with marine requirements was walking off the gangplank with every crew change.
We saw an opportunity to change that.
A Ship with History
The YWAM Koha was originally built for the German Government and responsible for the maintenance of marine navigation buoys on the River Elbe, before serving for the South African Maritime Safety Authority. From 2009 to 2018, she plied the Pacific Islands as the MV Claymore II, providing essential transport links to Pitcairn Island from New Zealand and French Polynesia.
Donated to the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) program by Brenda and Nigel Jolly of Stoney Creek Shipping company, the YWAM Koha now distributes medical care to those in need across the Pacific. The ship has the capacity to carry containers, supplies, crew, and volunteers to assist with everything from education to medical and developmental projects.
The Koha transports shipping containers that are converted into medical and dental clinics, providing dental surgeries and X-ray units. However, most of the work the organisation does is in the villages themselves. The vessel anchors close to shore, providing primary health care, preventative medicine such as vaccinations, oral health checks and eye examinations to remote communities.
The Pacific Islands are one of the most geographically challenging regions on planet Earth, with many villages located on isolated outer islands and desperately in need of support. The vast majority have no airstrips and no bridges connecting them, so the only way to reach them is via the sea.
Our Solution: A Customised CMMS for YWAM Koha
Answering a call from ABD Group‘s John Clynes, we provided and installed the MainTrak maintenance management system free of charge when the Koha was docked in Tauranga. John conducted a stocktake of the spares inventory while we mapped the ship’s assets into the CMMS, and together we built a complete maintenance management system for the crew.
The vessel now has a system able to manage its maintenance schedule, technical documentation, and spares, as well as storing its intellectual knowledge, ready for any future engineers to tap into. The system is cloud-based, with full Starlink coverage across the Pacific, meaning that YWAM Technical director Tony Fish can stay in touch from around the globe and ensure any replacement parts are ready and waiting anywhere the ship docks.
Mapping the assets was a labour of love. We found the Koha well cared for and pleasingly clean. This ship reverberates with history and engineering experience. Sadly, most of that learning was lost over the years, but now there’s a method to retain it in the engine room for future generations.
Making a Difference
Nigel and Brenda Jolly said their decision to donate the vessel to Youth With A Mission was out of a desire to see the boat looked after and do something they can be proud of. The MainTrak maintenance management system has provided the crew with the tool to do just that.
The YWAM Koha is now better equipped to deliver vital medical services to remote Pacific communities, with a maintenance system that will serve crews for years to come.
Looking for a CMMS that can be customised for your company or specialised asset(s)? Visit our home page or contact our team of dedicated engineers to learn more about MainTrak CMMS!