Castrol News

The technological evolution of new marine fuels and engines places increased demands on cylinder oils, says lubricants supplier Castrol.More efficient engines, new and varied fuels, and recent changes to leading OEM cylinder oil strategies are making lubricant choice a more important and complex decision.Castrol’s survey of marine owners, operators and managers, earlier this year, revealed that 30% of those surveyed had undertaken no or limited planning to prepare for new fuels.When the dynamic between engine…

The supplier of Machine Learning based vessel performance solutions GreenSteam  announced significant progress towards its stated objective of enabling its clients to achieve doubledigit fuel savings as substantial MARPOL driven fuel price rises, loom large, for the Shipping Industry.A press release from GreenSteam, which is majority owned by BP/Castrol, said that currently, working with over 30 shipping owners, operators and marine organisations across all shipping sectors, globally, GreenSteam’s services are allowing these clients and partners to implement measurable fuel and operational cost savings.These have been identified through…

Maersk Fluid Technology (MFT) has reported a recent influx of orders for its SEA-Mate Blending-on-Board (BOB) system as confirmation of industry demand for technological solutions that enable ship operators to blend fit-for-purpose cylinder lubricant compositions on board their vessels that match actual engine operating conditions and fuel sulphur levels. The use of this type of technology can reduce cylinder oil consumption and alleviate issues such as cold corrosion and excessive cylinder wear, according to MFT.

Despite a marginal deterioration in the growth outlook for the global shipbuilding industry, annualized five-year growth rates for the sector are still forecast to reach a healthy 3 to 5%, before picking up substantially after 2017, says Castrol Marine Trade Barometer. The Barometer predicts that growth will be driven largely by the Asia-Pacific region, but also Latin America and the Middle East. All European nations but the Netherlands face a downward trend until 2017. Mandhir Singh, COO at Castrol, says, “The main growth in shipbuilding will come from AsiaPacific countries to 2019. These nations are well positioned to supply ultra-large vessels, which shipping companies are increasingly demanding for their fuel efficiency and economies of scale.

A fire broke out due to a suspected leakage in an oil pipeline passing through a land owned by the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) in Wadala in central Mumbai, but no one was injured. Fifteen fire tenders and 12 water tankers eventually doused the flames after a five-hour fight around 11pm. There were no casualties. Sources said the flames were spreading fast in the evening because of the strong monsoon winds blowing from the southwest. Dark smoke could be seen from up to 7km away in Lower Parel. The fire began at 5:50 pm. "An oil leakage was detected this morning and we had taken all the necessary precautions. But at 6 PM, we were informed of a fire," MbPT chairman RM Parmar said. He added that no casualties have been reported in the incident so far.

January 1, 2015 is an important date for ship owner and operators to ensure that their vessels, when operating inside ECA zones, are doing so in compliance with strict new emission edicts concerning the emission of sulfur. – to discuss some of the technical and logistical matters you must consider. The move to low sulfur fuels is well recorded, but from your point of view, describe the situation that ship owners face regarding fuel selection and cylinder lubrication come January 1, 2015?

BP today announced that Iain Conn, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive, Downstream, is leaving the company and is to step down from BP’s board by the end of the year. Conn has had a career of 29 years with BP, serving on the board  for the past 10 years and in his current Downstream role for the past seven. The Downstream comprises BP’s three main global Customer-facing businesses: Fuels, including refining; Lubricants (principally under the Castrol brand); and Petrochemicals. Under Conn’s leadership, BP’s Downstream segment has been repositioned strategically and operationally. Conn also holds group regional responsibilities for Europe, Asia and Southern Africa. Conn will hand over the role of Chief Executive, Downstream to Tufan Erginbilgic on 1 October 2014.

Consolidation will provide marine customers with a simpler and more consistent product offering. Global lubricants manufacturer, Castrol, has announced that it will become the sole brand for the BP group’s marine lubricant offering. The decision to consolidate the marine lubricants offerings that are currently provided under both BP Marine and Castrol Marine brands will create a single product and service portfolio that will provide greater simplicity and efficiency for customers.

Nothing stirs the maritime pot like new regulation, and coming soon to you (in less than a month) is the new iteration of the Vessel General Permit (VGP). The VGP applies to vessels operating in a capacity as a means of transportation, that have discharges incidental to their normal operations into waters subject to this permit, except recreational vessels. Unless otherwise excluded from coverage, the waters subject to this permit means “territorial seas” of the U.S. The Clean Water Act (CWA) does not require NPDES permits for vessels or other floating craft operating as a means of transportation beyond the territorial seas, such as in the contiguous zone or ocean. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a replacement VGP permit under its authority from the CWA.

Castrol Marine has announced it will launch Castrol Cyltech CL 100 ACC in May 2014. The Next Generation cylinder oil represents Castrol’s considered technical response to the corrosion issues that can arise in modern two stroke marine engines, especially when ships are slow steaming. Castrol Cyltech CL 100 ACC (Advanced Corrosion Control) is a newly formulated 100BN lubricant developed for the latest generation of engines. Its introduction to the portfolio follows rigorous testing and trials of new ACC technology that drew on Castrol’s early identification of corrosion in the latest engine types when running on higher sulphur content fuels at part load.

Less than six months before the U.S. Vessel General Permit takes effect, Castrol Marine is working with owners to ensure they are truly compliant within definitions set out for ‘Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant’ in U.S. waters. From December 2013, new requirements come into effect covering the substances deemed acceptable for discharge by ships in US waters. Few operators, perhaps, will be fully aware of what the revised ‘Vessel General Permit’ (VGP) means when it identifies “Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants” (EAL).

Castrol Marine said it has welcomed new guidance from Wärtsilä that undermines claims that mid-range base number (BN) oils represent a single cylinder oil solution for marine two-stroke engines. The advice confirms Castrol’s long-held concerns that using mid-range BN cylinder oils with higher sulphur fuels when slow steaming could lead to cold corrosion. The engine major has withdrawn approval for mid-range (50-60BN) cylinder oils when used with many marine engines running on Heavy Fuel Oil of above 2.5% sulphur content. New ‘letters of no objection’ to suppliers limit use of mid-range BN oils on all “Wärtsilä RTA, RT-fl ex and W-X engines as well as Sulzer two-stroke engines” to HFO whose sulphur content is “in the range 0.5<S<2.5 mass %”.

”We have responded to increasing demand from our customers for wider availability of our Cyltech 80 AW cylinder oil by expanding the supply network from five to 35 ports in key regions,” said David Goosey, Castrol Marine’s Chief Executive and Sales Director. Ports where customers will be able to book supplies will now take in major trading centers, including Antwerp, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Marseille, Hamburg, Bremen, Kiel, Singapore, Port Klang, Busan, Ulsan, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Fujairah, Dubai, Jebel Ali and Khor Fakkan. Castrol’s recommendation that owners adopt Cyltech 80 AW was initially prompted to address the implementation of slow steaming practices by operators of large containerships fitted with large bore 2-stroke crosshead main engines.

Concerns over corrosive wear risk in cross-head engines led Castrol Marine to question the rigour of some widely used scavenge drain oil analysis (SDA ) techniques. Factors influencing scavenge drain oil characteristics include fuel sulphur level, cylinder oil BN level, system oil contamination and operating profile. Accuracy is critical in SDA interpretation, not least because it supports feed-rate assumptions that are critical to cylinder oil performance, Castrol said. “It is not possible to analyze results accurately without comprehensive knowledge of the fuel oil, the new and used system oil, feed rates and operational data collected from the engine at the time of sampling,” said Paul Harrold, Castrol Marine Technology Manager.

MAN Diesel & Turbo supports Castrol’s advice that misapplication of mid-range base number (BN) cylinder oils can cause corrosion. Castrol inform that the engine manufacturer recently issued service letters that recommend “cylinder lube oil with 70BN or higher” for latest generation super long stroke engines using higher sulphur fuel (above 1.5%-2%). MAN says it “cannot recommend” cylinder oils “with a BN level between 50 and 60” for these engines. Ship-owners have been persuaded to try a host of new mid-range lubricants on the basis that they offer a solution across the range of sulphur content in fuel oil, including during slow steaming operations.

Castrol Marine has extended its cylinder oil range to address concerns about engine damage and performance as slow steaming and fuel sulphur content restrictions bite. The specialized marine lubricant supplier has launched Cyltech 80 AW, an 80 BN (base number) cylinder oil. The Cyltech range has been developed for optimum engine protection in 2-stroke crosshead engines and specifically to match engine performance with the demands of varying sulphur fuels and the impact of slow steaming.

Drawing on OEM reports and its own engine performance tests, Castrol Marine has strengthened its conviction that optimum performance, when slow steaming, can only be achieved by having a range of cylinder oils available for the customer. content and low feed-rates. to those vessels regularly slow steaming, to ensure piston ring packs and liners remain in excellent condition. “The idea of a single, mid range cylinder oil solution for all vessels as sulphur limits are reduced may be seductive…

As Polar shipping movements increase, Castrol Marine suggests that greater attention should be paid to the environmental credentials of lubricants used on board in applications where there is a risk of leakages and discharges. Growing demand for effective shipping routes and cruises to previously inaccessible destinations has led vessels into increasingly sensitive marine areas. Exemplary is the increasing amount of seaborne traffic beginning to move along the Siberian coast. There are also hopes of opening up more of the North West Passage above Canada. The Northern Sea Route voyage is one-third of the distance of traditional routes through the Suez Canal, bringing with it lower fuel costs.

Germanischer Lloyd has appointed a new Business Development Manager (BDM), Tom Dorsman, and a dedicated Technical Coordinator, Ruben Roeleveld, specialising in Inland Marine. Mr. Dorsman will provide a dedicated sales specialist for the inland waterway vessel (IWV) market. Mr Roeleveld will be responsible for coordinating activities between plan approval surveyors, field surveyors, business development managers and clients. Mr. Roeleveld will also be GL's contact with the IVW (Inspectie Verkeer en Waterstaat), the Dutch Shipping Inspectorate. Dorsman and Roeleveld are based in Rotterdam.

Castrol Marine has renewed its Corporate Membership of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology’s (IMarEST) Marine Partners initiative. Fiona Morris, Acting Chief Executive of IMarEST, praised "Sea Your Future - a Guide to Marine Careers": a comprehensive assessment tool engineered by Castrol, which consists of eleven multi-level technical training modules designed to improve crew skills and knowledge levels. From Ship Types to Used Oil Analysis, the training covers key areas of the marine industry ensuring greater crew capability. Castrol Academy combines traditional print-based modules, with interactive DVDs and online assessment. The renewed partnership will see Castrol Academy modules available through IMarEST.

Castrol Marine has announced it is supplying environmentally responsible lubricants to International Shipping Partners (ISP), a global cruise ship management company. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, ISP offers ship owners a broad range of comprehensive passengership management services. ISP is the only dedicated passengership manager in the world to receive the industry’s highest quality assurance certification, the InterManager Quality Assurance Certificate. The agreement covers the use of Castrol BioStat, a range of stern tube lubricant grades formulated to deliver enhanced performance and reduced environmental impact when compared to conventional mineral oil equivalents.

GreenField lubricants from Castrol Offshore are likely to remain the only products fully tested to environmentally-responsible standards set by Norwegian authorities through 2011. Changes to Norwegian Activities Regulations introduced on January 1st 2010 require discharged lubricants and chemicals, used in closed systems in amounts of more than 3000kg a year per facility, to be registered for use offshore. Applications including crane hydraulics, thrusters, drilling system hydraulics and mooring winch gears, require Harmonised Offshore Chemicals Notification Format (HOCNF) registered products. Castrol Offshore proactively registered its products before the January 1st 2010 deadline.

Castrol Marine has renewed the Corporate Membership of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology’s (IMarEST) Marine Partners initiative. “If there is one thing better than acquiring a new member of the Marine Partner scheme, it is news that a long-time partner is renewing its relationship with us,” says Fiona Morris, Interim Chief Executive of IMarEST. “It is extremely stimulating working with Castrol Marine, and we are delighted that we will be doing so for another year.