MAN awards 'no objection' to Gulf, Chevron, Shell and ExxonMobil cylinder oils

Taro Ultra Advanced 40 was tested extensively on vessels with MAN 8G80ME-C9.2 in conjunction with shipowners including Greece’s Cape Shipping, according to Chevron.

Cape Shipping technical manager Elias Soulis said, “We were operating our engines on 40BN cylinder oil and VLSFO; however, we had to alternate it with 100BN oil to keep our MAN G80ME-C9.2 engine clean. We have now operated for an extended time on Chevron’s new high-performance 40BN cylinder oil and have seen a significant improvement. We no longer have to alternate between the two products to have excellent looking engine cylinder conditions. Having a single product for all our operational conditions reduces the complexity of the operations for our crew.” 

Shell Marine said the successful approval of its formulation was the result of close collaboration with MAN ES to develop an approved Category II lubricant for engines operating with <0.5% sulphur fuels, ranging from VLSFO to liquefied natural gas and rigorous testing with the latest engine designs (Mark 9 and higher).

Shell Marine technology manager for marine and engine lubricants Dr Luis Garcia said, “With the industry focused on reducing emissions, engine technology is continuously evolving to deliver higher efficiencies when operating with very low to zero sulphur fuels. Latest engine designs operate with challenging conditions in terms of pressure and temperature, demanding for higher performing lubrication, particularly in terms of engine cleanliness, making the development of a CAT II 40BN cylinder oil essential.”

Shell said its new product is expected to be progressively made available at major ports worldwide from Q3 2022, and Chevron said Taro Ultra Advanced 40 will be available across its global supply network in the second half of 2022.

ExxonMobil has also had its Mobilgard 540 AC 40BN marine cylinder oil granted Category II status by MAN ES for use in their Mark 9 and higher two-stroke marine engine designs and received a NOL from the engine builder following extensive field demonstrations.

ExxonMobil Global Marine said the high-performance cylinder oil will be available to order from the third quarter of 2022 in "key locations from ExxonMobil’s extensive network of more than 650 ports throughout the world".  

And, finally, Gulf Oil Marine has had a no objection letter from MAN extended for a further three years for its GulfSea Cylcare XP 5040X CAT II 40BN cylinder oil. 

"This extension by MAN ES follows from the successful completion of more than 2000 hours of confirmation test of GulfSea Cylcare XP 5040X," a statement from Gulf Oil Marine said.

"With the success of the confirmation test, we have affirmed the performance of GulfSea Cylcare XP 5040X on two different engine models – MAN Mark 9.2 and Mark 9.5 – both running on low-sulphur fuels."

Maritime Air Pollution & Fuel Technologies Conference, Europe will be held 18-19 May 2022. Details and tickets can be found here