When ship diesel engines are overhauled, the surface renovation of crankshaft bearings is of critical importance. Conventionally the crankshaft is removed from the engine and the subsequent build-up of bearing surfaces and grinding operations are performed in the workshop. New technology has been developed to perform crankshaft crankpin bearing surface grinding directly in the engine housing. This article outlines a further study confirming that the previously adopted grinding platform can be extended to fibre laser build-up welding technology. It is ideally suited to shipboard crankshaft surface renovation and opens up an entirely new dimension in laser build-up welding applications, which offers considerable economic benefits.