From 1 January 2020, Marpol Annex VI regulations stipulate vessels without any abatement technology, should utilise ≤ 0.5% sulphur fuels known as very low sulphur fuel oils (VLSFOs). The concerns within the marine industry are that 2020 VLSFOs will be of various blend compositions from numerous refineries and will present challenges in terms of stability, compatibility, deposit and lacquer issues.
Marine Diesel Engine Oils business manager Simon Tarrant stated, “To mitigate potential engine operational and durability issues when using these VLSFO blends, we are expanding our product portfolio and will introduce two marine cylinder oil additive packages in advance of IMO 2020 implementation.”
“We’ve leveraged Lubrizol’s unique component portfolio, formulating expertise and testing capabilities to develop these lubricant solutions” said Marine Diesel Engine Oils technical manager Ian Bown. “Prior to conducting the sea trials, these lubricant solutions were evaluated in accordance with our world-class fired engine testing protocol utilising 0.5% sulphur fuel. As the marine industry fuel landscape transitions to lower sulphur fuels, shipowners should expect lubricants with robust performance in terms of engine protection.” Mr Bown added “Our lubricant solutions directly address the diverse piston deposit concerns that these new VLSFOs pose.”
Mr Tarrant affirmed “This places the Lubrizol Corporation in a strong position to address the future 2020 fuel landscape globally, and demonstrates our continued commitment to provide market-relevant products compliant with current and future regulatory requirements.”
Look out for future communications on the commercialisation of these products.
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