Oil Types News

As an operator of vessels, you understand that lubricants play an important role in helping you achieve your operational objectives. Yet, finding the right one can be overwhelming since there’s an almost unlimited number of different lubricant formulations. An understanding of lubrication chemistry, performance expectations and operational objectives will help you select a lubricant that will improve operations and lower your overall costs.Lubrication benefitsThe basic function of a lubricant is to reduce friction by separating interacting surfaces.

Danish product tanker operator Torm has joined Glencore subsidiary Inatech on an app to tackle the anticipated complex bunkering landscape in shipping post-2020.Inatech, which specialises in energy trading risk management systems, has built the ‘Smart Trader’ app to enable companies to map their entire fleet of ships and visualise best routes given sea and port conditions to achieve lowest prices for the desired quality of fuel.The toolkit leverages bunker alerts and pricing data from S&P Global Platts, the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the energy and commodities markets."Torm, the tanker company that’s one of the world’s biggest carriers of refined oil products…

Cleaning up marine oil spills can be a challenge as there are various types of oil spilled but only a few effective recovery methods. The three main technologies for oil spill recovery for inland and offshore waters are mechanical, insitu burning (ISB), and dispersant application. Absorbent booms and pads may also be used, but they are more effective for small fuel spills. Mechanical recovery, usually an oil skimmer, is a device that skims contained floating oil and transfers the recovered oil to a storage container or vessel.

Shell Marine has unveiled its next generation Shell Argina and Shell Gadinia trunk piston oils for the medium-speed engine market. As owners face pressures to shift toward cleaner fuels that address emissions regulations, Shell said demand for distillates and low-sulphur heavy fuel oil will only increase as shipping approaches a global fuel sulphur content cap of 0.5 percent, imposed by IMO from 2020. Already, dual-fuel engines are taking an increasing share of the medium speed market.

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?

A new five-year low in oil spills from tank­ers reported by the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), as the average for 2010-2014 falls to 1.8 large spills per year. During the year, ITOPF recorded 1 large spill of bitumen (over 3,000 MT) from a tanker in the South China Sea, and 4 medium spills of various oil types, totaling 5 spills of 7 tonnes and over. Interestingly, a number of tanker incidents reported in the media in 2014 involved fire and explosion, where potentially significant quantities of cargoes and bunker fuel burned. The cargoes involved included condensate, diesels and fuel oils. "For the last two and a half decades the average number of incidents involving oil spills from tankers has progressively halved…

The ‘A’ rated, 150 million GT North of England P&I club has published a third edition of its popular loss-prevention guide ‘Bunker Claims Prevention’, which aims to help shipowners avoid potentially large losses arising from loading unsuitable or insufficient marine fuel oil. The new edition reflects recent changes to international marine fuel specifications introduced in ISO 8217:2010. Head of loss prevention Tony Baker says, ‘The guide tackles bunker quality and quantity issues…

Kvichak Marine Industries is currently constructing a run of approximately 30 rapid response oil skimmers fitted with Marco Pollution Control CL-1 Filterbelt oil recovery modules for customers responding to the Gulf oil spill. The Kvichak/Marco Filterbelt is suited for high volume recovery of the oil types encountered in this spill. Kvichak is expecting over 100 skimming vessels utilizing the Filterbelt to be in operation on this spill in the coming weeks. This specialized system is adaptable to a variety of marine spill scenarios and is able to recover a very wide range of spills…