The main purpose of this work is to point to possible alarms and failures in the operation of centrifugal pumps and the order of elimination of faults and alerts in order to solve the mentioned problems encountered in ship systems using a centrifugal pump. Apart from malfunctions and alarms, the principle of centrifugal pump operation, its construction and possible performance are described. The problem of cavitation in centrifugal pumps is also explained, the cause and the way of its occurrence and the way in which it can be avoided. There is also a description of their mode of operation that is significantly different from other types of pumps and possible defects in the work of centrifugal pumps. An example of trouble shooting and remedies is taken from a ship's manual. The function of seals and bearings in centrifugal pumps is explained. At the end of the work it’s interpreted the role of a self-priming device and the procedure of the engineer on watch in the occurrence of alarms on certain systems with centrifugal pumps. Three cases are presented as example and the procedure is explained through the flowchart.