Shell launch Shell Alexia S4, which they claim negates the need for vessels to carry multiple lube oils .
Unlike conventional cylinder oils, Shell claims it can be used across a wide range of vessel and engine types, fuel specifications, loads and climates from the Antarctic to the Amazon to the Suez Canal. This means vessels no longer need to carry multiple oils.
Shell Alexia S4 also works effectively at any vessel speed, including slow and ultra slow especially important to modern ships that have to vary speeds to reduce fuel consumption and meet strict timetables.
Shell scientists developed Shell Alexia S4 based on their unique 20 year understanding of oil stress, the factors which degrade lubricants and stop them working. The new formulation, with an innovative combination of additives, went through rigorous testing at Shell's Marine and Power Innovation Centre in Hamburg, Germany.
Tests in laboratory engines under simulated slow steaming conditions demonstrated that Shell Alexia S4 provided up to a 20% improvement in overall engine wear, compared to Shell's existing cylinder oil and out-performed all other oils tested.
The new oil was also extensively tested during more than 25, 000 hours of field trials, by customers and the original engine manufacturers MAN and Wartsila.
Alexia S4 will be available to customers from 1 August 2012.