With day rates for hire of VLCCs as high as US$ 250,000, downtime for tanker operators is not an option. With one of its fleet rapidly approaching US waters, General Maritime needed assistance – and fast. Previously, the crew conducted maintenance work on one of the vessel’s fans and had encountered difficulties. At 24 hours’ notice, Flebu flew one of its experienced service engineers to Jamaica. From here, he was transported by boat to the tanker as it passed offshore. The fan was successfully repaired and the vessel docked in Houston without delay. José Garneche, of General Maritime in Portugal, sums up Flebu’s performance: “We are very, very pleased. This kind of response is what makes the difference between one fan manufacturer and another.”