Marine lubes need innovation
Cost pressures to reduce speed and changes in emissions regulations mean a need for innovative marine lubes.
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Patrick Havil Image:Total Lubemarine |
The claim comes from Total Lubemarine's Patrick Havil who highlights the problems of finding appropriate marine lubes as costs force shipping lines to demand slow steaming from its fleet.
Slow steaming means that ships' engines run at slower speeds requiring cylinder lubricants with a higher base lubricity. However, this causes further problems when having to meet emissions regulations set by US regulators for any ships within US Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) which will become effective in 2012.
The ECAs are set to have an effect on 50% of the world's maritime traffic and will mean fleet operators will have to meet strict NOx and SOx regulations, typically requiring lower lubricity lubricants and low sulphur fuels.
According to Havil, the current range of marine lubes, with one exception which happens to be Total Lubmarine's own newly developed Talusia Universal product, are incompatible with variable fuel sulphur levels and slow steaming. Thus, as the situation stands, operators will have to change lubes and fuels as their vessels move in and out of the ECAs.
As fuel and lube prices rise, operators are also forcing captains to reduce cruising speeds by around 5 knots to aournd 18-20 knots, although in some cases this can be reduced to as little as 8-12 knots. Slower speeds mean greater strain on engine and lubricants alike.
Havil also reveals that Total's product is likely to be supplements with a new generation of biodegradable marine lubricants in response to the global focus on marine lube leakage and waste.
