MARINE PROPULSION ANNUAL
FUEL & LUBE ROUNDTABLE
Slick Moves
Emission reduction. Fuel efficiency. Machinery longevity. Cut them out, throw them in a hat, mix them up, and pick them out, and arguably you will have agenda items "1", "1a" and "1b" on most vessel owner's priority list. Closer care than ever is being paid to what goes into and comes out of a vessel's machinery, as ultimately a mistake either way can be costly, in terms of time, money and reputation. Maritime Reporter hosted a "roundtable" of leading suppliers of fuels and lubricants suppliers to discuss issues and solutions.
What are the two or three major driving forces for your business today? CITGO There are two primary drivers right now for our customer: Our customers require products that will extend their equipment life and help to reduce their overall operating costs; they also want products that will reduce their exposure to costly environmental incidents, such as a spill on the water. ExxonMobil Supply reliability and the concern for the global environment are two of the major forces driving our marine lubricants business. Several years ago, we reshaped our global marine lubricant business to improve supply reliability. One of the things we did was to refocus our product line to offer the min-
Emission Reduction � Fuel Efficiency � Machinery Longevity
eral and synthetic oils our customers lift most often. This helps to increase the reliability of our product supply and delivery, and also makes it easier for our customers to manage their fleets' product inventory and order planning. We also restructured our port network around our customers' needs to help ensure they receive the products they need, on time and in full, when an order is placed. For products that aren't lifted as frequently, we established Specialty Ports along main global shipping routes to make it easier and more efficient for customers to lift our specialized products. Environmental Concerns: Emissions regulations are driving change in all areas of the marine industry. International legislation requiring use of low sulfur fuels by ships at sea means significant changes for engine builders, lubricant providers and many ship owners. For ship owners, the technical implications of the regulations are significant. From a lubricant standpoint, the major issue in switching back and forth between high- and low-sulfur fuels is ensuring the oil's ability to control corrosion and wear. The reduction in allowable fuel sulfur has created an opportunity for new marine engine lubricant approaches. Matching the optimum level of detergency and alkalinity reserve of an engine lubricant with the fuel sulfur being used is seen as critical for the future. The versatility of engine oils to work with a wide range of fuel sulfurs is also an important consideration. As engine emissions regulations affecting
September 2009
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