Lukoil Helps Extend Life of Ship’s Pistons
After running on minimum feed rate for years, Hansa Shipping’s containership HS Debussy is expected to exceed 50,000 running hours without piston overhaul at present operation conditions.
With the help of Lukoil Marine Lubricants’ Navigo 70 MCL cylinder oil, Hamburg-based shipping company Hansa Shipping has achieved benefits for their HS Debussy: The vessel’s engine has been running on minimum feed rate for years and is expected to exceed 50,000 running hours without piston overhaul.
Stefan Claussen, technical and marketing director at Lukoil Marine, explained, “Initially, we started with Navigo 70 MCL at 0.6 g/kW/h, which we were able to reduce to the minimum feed rate of first 0.55 g/kW/h and later 0.50 g/kW/h.” Since then, the engine has been running on between 0.50 and 0.55 g/kW/h, depending on the sulphur content of the fuel, while it is constantly monitored by Lukoil’s Cylinder Scrapedown Analysis Service.
The outcome has been documented in the latest MAN service report on HS Debussy. After more than 33,000 running hours, the MAN B&W 7K90MC-C engine has been found in excellent condition with no need for pulling any pistons. On the contrary, “If the engine’s present running conditions are retained, there are still many more running hours left for the pistons,” said Karl Bjarnason, superintendent engineer at MAN PrimeServ Middle East, in his report. “Since the cylinder condition is excellent for this engine, we do not recommend changing the present cylinder oil feed rate.” These results are impressive, even more so considering that the vessel is operating mostly under slow steaming conditions with fuel Sulphur in the upper range toward 3.5 percent.
Hansa Shipping and Lukoil Marine look back on a long-term cooperation. On August 24, 2009 Lukoil Marine Lubricants received its very first lubricant order from Hansa Shipping and has been the lubricant supplier for HS Debussy since the 3,554 TEU containership was taken into operation in 2009.
“Right from the start we were convinced of Lukoil Marine’s operational and technical expertise as a lubricant supplier. We have not been disappointed: both their products and services are excellent,” reported Peter Mackeprang, managing director at Hansa Shipping.
In turn, the HS Debussy was an important milestone for Lukoil Marine when the company started in business. “This is the very first and therefore nearly famous vessel that we took over in Hamburg,” Claussen explained.