Condition Based Maintenance (CBM)
Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) is a maintenance strategy in which work is carried out based on the actual condition of the equipment — assessed through monitoring such as vibration analysis, lube-oil analysis, thermography and performance trending — rather than at fixed calendar or running-hour intervals. The aim is to intervene just before a failure develops, not too early and not too late.
In ship management, CBM is increasingly integrated with the Planned Maintenance System (PMS): sensors and analysis flag deteriorating condition, which raises the maintenance job. Done well, CBM cuts unnecessary overhauls, reduces spares consumption and catches incipient failures — but it requires the monitoring infrastructure and data discipline to trust the condition signal. Not to be confused with CBM (Cubic Meter) in freight.
Calendar-based maintenance either overhauls equipment that was still healthy (wasting spares and labour) or misses a failure that develops between intervals. CBM ties the work to the machine's real condition — so maintenance happens when the equipment actually needs it. For a fleet, that is lower cost and higher reliability, which is why CBM is central to modern, data-driven ship management.
How is CBM different from planned (calendar) maintenance?
Planned maintenance runs at fixed intervals (time or running hours); CBM triggers work from the equipment's monitored condition, so it happens only when needed.
Is CBM the same as predictive maintenance?
They overlap — CBM acts on current measured condition; predictive maintenance uses that data to forecast when failure will occur. Both are condition-driven rather than calendar-driven.