Bolton, MA—SeaKits, the developer and provider of the award-winning Marine Maintenance SystemSM, has signed an agreement with Boston’s Best Cruises to provide the company’s two workboat fleets with their turnkey MMS Fleet SolutionsSM. SeaKits and Boston’s Best Cruises met at the Passenger Vessel Association meeting in February and began discussions of implementing Fleet Solutions into their Boston and Ft. Lauderdale based fleets. The Boston fleet’s maintenance program will begin operations with MMS by the end of April.
Boston’s Best Cruises operates and maintains passenger vessels for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the reliability and proper maintenance of the vessels is paramount to customer service and business operations. The Boston’s Best Cruises fleet includes two Boston Harbor Island high speed catamaran ferries that run between Quincy and Boston; two T Harbor Express vessels that are year round commuter boats; the Salem Ferry that has a seasonal schedule; and the New England Aquarium Whale Watch boat.
The second fleet is with a sister company, Ft. Lauderdale Water Taxis, which has seven water taxis in the fleet and also includes the Boston’s Best Cruises seasonal vessels during the winter months. Both Boston’s Best Cruises and Ft. Lauderdale Water Taxis are owned by Water Transportation Alternatives, Inc.
The SeaKits scope of work is to complete a turnkey fleet maintenance management program for all vessels as well as the parts depots at their respective terminals (Boston, Quincy, Salem, and Ft. Lauderdale). In order to ensure a smooth transition, SeaKits is completing a process review of the existing maintenance routines at Boston’s Best Cruises so that MMS can be integrated into their overall maintenance process. SeaKits will perform a walkdown of each vessel, create the equipment and spare parts lists, determine the maintenance requirements and schedules, assemble electronic manufacturers’ documentation, and populate the MMS database for each vessel. Boston’s Best Cruises had been considering different maintenance solutions and the SeaKits customization and comprehensive service is one of the things that attracted president Bill Walker to MMS. For example, SeaKits will build into each vessel’s profile the required USCG inspection schedules.
Walker says, “During the initial demonstration of the system we saw that it was a user-friendly program. The more we got into the system the more we understood how it could be customized for our fleets and maintenance crews. We are impressed with the user experience that SeaKits provides as well as the training which will maximize our understanding and use of the system.†Operating workboat vessels out of four locations requires streamlined communication among maintenance crews and Walker anticipates that this is something the new Fleet Management System will improve. In addition to individual vessel profiles, there is also a fleet portal that provides an overview of current maintenance status and notes for all vessels in the fleet. Maintenance managers can log into the system and quickly see schedules for planned and corrective maintenance and the associated parts availability. Fleet Solutions’ unique approach to shared inventory will identify parts and equipment availability throughout the fleet and depots for quick response to planned maintenance or emergency repairs that are necessary to optimize fleet operations.
“Having our dockside maintenance facilities set-up with MMS profiles will help our team in identifying where parts are which is integral to keeping the fleets operational,†explains Walker.
About SeaKits
SeaKits, Inc. was founded in 2006 by a submarine service veteran and USCG Licensed Master who envisioned a better way to maintain yachts and workboats to optimize availability and reliability. SeaKits provides the Marine Maintenance SystemSM, MMS Fleet SolutionsSM, and related products and services, including Spare Parts Outfitting, Global Logistics, and Owners Manuals. SeaKits products and services are available through leading boat builders and direct from SeaKits. Ask your marine architect or boat builder about the Marine Maintenance System, call 978.562.5211, or email info@seakits.com.
About Boston’s Best Cruises
Boston’s Best Cruises is owned by Water Transportation Alternatives, Inc. (WTAI), which is comprised of a group of business entities specializing in marine transportation and related maritime industries. The company, founded in 1996, now operates or owns the following: MBTA Harbor Express Water Shuttle, New England Aquarium Whale Watch, Boston Harbor Islands National Park Ferry Service, the Salem Ferry, Ft. Lauderdale Water Taxi, Charter Services, and Consulting Services. http://bostonsbestcruises.com/
