TOTAL
In January 2008, Lubmarine launched a new product, Talusia Universal, a new cylinder lubricating oil suitable for use with all two-stroke engines running on heavy fuel oils, with different sulfur content. Talusia Universal has expanded throughout the market since it was launched, and the company has extensive testimonials confirming the advantages of Talusia Universal which, is available throughout the Lubmarine network. To understand the advantages of Talusia Univeral, it is necessary to examine what typically happens when a ship goes into an Emissions Control Area (ECA). With Talusia Universal, only one cylinder lubricant onboard is necessary, according to the manufacturer, because Talusia Universal performs equally well whether the engine is running constantly on medium-sulfur fuel oil or alternating between high and low-sulfur fuel oils. The key to the success of Talusia Universal is the presence of specific additives designed to enhance the speed and efficiency of the lubricant while neutralizing the acidity formed during the combustion process of heavy fuel oil. The benefits of Talusia Universal are three-fold. First, it is designed to enhance engine safety by protecting and extending the life of engine components. Second, Talusia Universal is designed to simplify the process of lube oil management. There is one cylinder oil for all fuel sulfur contents, one supply and stock of cylinder oil to manage, no additional crew training requirements and, in most cases, no feed rate adjustment when changing fuels. Third, there are significant cost and time savings involved, because there is no need to modify onboard installations, and less stock has to be carried on board. Talusia Universal is not only used in ECAs but also in those areas where ships use fuel with regular sulfur content. The level of sulfur in HFO is progressively going down, and cylinder oils developed many years ago are no longer well tailored for the HFOs we have today. What the shipping industry need is a cylinder oil with a lower BN which can be used with the lowest feed rate. And that is what Talusia Universal is designed to be. To prove the efficiency of our product in the most severe conditions, with a reduced feed rate at the lowest level, it was necessary to undertake a dedicated field test with Talusia Universal. This test was carried out on the NSB vessel HANJIN HELSINKI. Between May 2007 and February 2009, operating with a reduced lube oil feed rate factor, the company completed almost 12,000 hours of official testing with Talusia Universal on the vessel's large-bore MAN engines, with results that reportedly proved that Talusia Universal can be used successfully in the most severe operating conditions or, as specified in MAN's Service Letter SLO9-507, "in accordance with an Alpha ACC factor of min 0.20 g/kWh".
Vickers The first and most obvious has been the push for improved environmental performance which we have already discussed. Another has to be the emergence of large, international and highly professional third party ship management companies with a genuine interest in technical solutions, and not just a short term focus on cost. Then there is the development of particular sectors of the marine industry. For example the development of the international cruise industry has been a factor in our growth. TOTAL The biggest factor affecting our ability to supply product to the marine market has been the difficulty of sourcing essential raw materials such as base oils and additives. Since 2005, the supply situation for both has been very tight. Major base oil plants in Europe, Asia and Russia have all suffered as a result of planned, unplanned and extended shutdowns, with the result that the supply of base oils has been interrupted on a regular basis. Meanwhile, the leading additive manufacturers have faced some facility issues, and on the other hand components used in the marine additives are also used in more profitable markets. We have regularly had to contend with problems of availability, additives being strictly allocated below normal quantities. The future is not optimistic so far as Group 1 base oils are concerned. The finances are not being made available to increase production significantly, and refiners have made it clear that they prefer not to make Group 1 base oils - those used most often in the production of marine lubricants in the future. So we anticipate a difficult situation in the next decade. Additionally, the hurricanes which hit the US Gulf region in September 2005 and September 2008 have badly impacted the availability of certain components used in the production of marine lubricants.
September 2009
He fuses his future
in the engine department.
Unlicensed Jr. Engineer George Stevens USNS Lewis and Clark
sealiftcommand.com
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