Base Oil News

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime on Tuesday showcased a new line of offshore ship designs in its UT Design portfolio. The new anchor handler (AHT) and platform supply vessels (PSV) have the option to include alternative energy sources and fuels, such as methanol, ammonia, and hybrid-battery power.The AHT and PSV designs have received Approval in Principle from class society DNV to operate with ammonia-fuelled engines and they can incorporate an offshore charging capable plug-in hybrid option…

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.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) announced that it has signed another significant long-term sales agreement with Indian Oil Corporation (IndianOil) for its high-quality base oil called ADbase.IndianOil is the largest seller of finished lubricants in the Indian market with approximate volume of 450,000 tonnes per annum. The total Indian market for finished lubricants is 2 million tonnes and is growing at the rate of 2.4 per cent per annum.IndianOil will use the ADbase oils to manufacture high end engine oils for India’s growing automotive sector.Ahmad Bin Thalith, Acting Senior Vice President of Refined Products Sales, in ADNOC’s Marketing…

South Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries sells its share of oil refinery Hyundai Oilbank to Saudi Arabian oil giant Saudi Aramco.According to a press release, Saudi Aramco’s subsidiary,  Aramco Overseas Company B.V (AOC) will purchase a 17% stake in South Korea's Hyundai Oilbank, a subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings.The investment is valued at approximately $ 1.25 billion, it said.AOC’s’s investment in South Korea’s Hyundai Oilbank will support Saudi Aramco’s crude oil placement strategy by providing a dedicated outlet for Arabian crude oil to South Korea.Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, Saudi Aramco’s Senior Vice President of Downstream, said: “Saudi Aramco continues to strengthen its position in the downstream sector.

A storage tank fire on the Houston Ship Channel on Sunday has spread to seven petrochemical storage tanks, forcing residents in the suburb of Deer Park, Texas, to stay indoors on Monday, but no evacuations or injuries were reported.The fire, which sent a plume of black smoke across the city's eastern half and was visible from 10 miles (16 km) away , began in a giant storage tank containing naphtha, a volatile component of gasoline, at about 10:30 a.m. (1530 GMT) on Sunday.By evening…

Specialty lubricants manufacturer Klϋber Lubrication recently introduced a new environmentally acceptable lubricant (EAL) grease for articulated tug and barge (ATB) couplings, Klüberbio AM 12-501.Klüberbio AM 12-501 is an adhesive EAL grease designed specifically for the large plain bearings, rams and connectors used in ATB coupling systems. It is based on fully synthetic ester oils for high performance and biodegradability, aluminum complex thickener for adhesion and resistance to water and select additives to reduce wear.Klüberbio AM 12-501 meets ATB coupling system OEM specifications for pumpability, resistance to water washout and spray off, corrosion protection and load carrying capabilities.

National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) announced the transportation of the first chemical shipment from Aramco Trading Company (ATC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco that trades refined, liquid chemical and polymer products, via ‘NCC Amal,’ a 45,000 DWT Bahri chemical tanker which left Port of Rabigh heading to China. The shipment, which contains 25,000 metric tonnes of paraxylene (PX) and 20,000 metric tonnes of monoethylene glycol (MEG), marks the completion of Phase II of the Petro Rabigh Company (PRC) project, which was celebrated at a special ceremony in the presence of Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri‎, Nasser D. Al-Mahasher, CEO of PRC, Ibrahim Q. Al-Buainain, CEO of ATC, and other representatives from the three companies.

Maintaining mission-critical winches, windlasses and cranes: the four must-have lubrication steps that all operators need to keep gears going. In the marine industry, winches, windlasses and cranes are the work horses of deck and harbor operations. They can be used to set anchors, position floating drill rigs, raise and lower sensitive scientific equipment, tow a ship, load/unload heavy cargo or even land fish. They are as vital to the mission of a vessel or a port as the main engine is to a ship.

OK. Full disclosure. We spent more than ‘five minutes’ on the phone with Chia Yoo Soon, General Manager, Finished Lubricants – Marine, Chevron Marine Lubricants. But given that we are based in New York and he is based in Singapore, the time difference mandated an efficient conversation for both. Without overstating the obvious, ship owners are under tremendous pressures. A relentless regulatory hammer continues to pound out new and ever stricter environmental and emission rules, while at the same time many sectors are in the midst of a historic and prolonged slump.

How does a tugboat operator with over 26 vessels used in docking, escort, ocean towing and articulated barge service get control of maintenance issues? In this case, by switching to Klüberplex BEM 41-132 grease to lower operating temperatures between 2 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit (3.6 and 18 Celsius), which significantly extends grease and bearing life. The tugboat business’ success depends on the reliability of their assets and the ability to provide superior customer service.

A new line of aftermarket genuine oil from KOHLER is engineered specifically for generator applications. The fully-synthetic premium oils are available in three formulations for different fuel types and are optimized for use in industrial, mobile, marine and home generators. “Generators have to run when they’re needed – there’s no room for downtime,” said Patricio Iligaray, Manager of Aftermarket Parts for Kohler Power Systems. “And, the oil you choose makes a real difference. Generators are subjected to unique conditions that are different from engines that power other applications.

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.

A new entry to the EAL lubricant race emerges from RSC Bio Solutions. Deep roots, new technologies and familiar names create the basis for a different way of approaching marine lubricants. It isn’t surprising that RSC Bio Solutions, a provider of environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) and cleaners, chose the SMM 2016 trade exposition in Hamburg, Germany as the platform to launch its newest product. That’s because SMM provided an appropriately large platform for a firm that has deep roots in the chemical and degreaser markets, but perhaps not the name recognition of its higher profile competition. With roots dating all the way back to 1924, and leveraging the acquisition of another now-familiar lubricants firm – Terresolve Technologies – this isn’t RSC Bio Solutions’ first rodeo.

Harris Pye Engineering Group completed repair works during the two-stage multi-million dollar Diamond Offshore demobilization project for its semi-sub rig Ocean Endeavor from the Black Sea, which completed its contract in January 2016. The initial phase of the repair work, which started in December 2015, while the rig was offshore Constanta, Romania involved cleaning of mud, brine, base oil and skimmer tanks. Steel repairs were carried out on a main column blister. The removal of three Seatrax crane pedestals…

RSC Bio Solutions’ FUTERRA is an environmentally acceptable lubricant (EAL) made from a renewable base oil derived from plant matter. FUTERRA was developed to address industry demand for enhanced sustainability combined with superior performance in critical areas such as hydrolytic stability, system compatibility and equipment uptime. FUTERRA is suitable for use as a lubricant anywhere conventional oil is used, but is intended primarily as a sustainable marine fluid for use in a wide variety of equipment applications. As an Ecolabel-certified EAL made from a renewable source, FUTERRA not only meets all current global environmental regulations, including the US EPA’s Vessel General Permit (VGP), but ensures compliance for years to come.

“Closer to you” is the motto, under which Klüber Lubrication will be presenting its latest environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) for ships and offshore installations at the SMM 2016. According to the manufacturer, all the EALs offer high-performance capacity and reliability under extreme conditions and comply with the requirements defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the 2013 Vessel General Permit and by current environmental standards. “Klüber Lubrication offers a complete range of EALs for all relevant applications on board a ship,” said Dirk Fabry, Business Development Manager for Marine at Klüber Lubrication.

Lucas Marine is partnering with Harbor Breeze Corporation to help reduce the yacht charter and cruise company's fuel costs, maintenance and environmental impact in Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors. Harbor Breeze is one of the largest yacht charter and cruise companies operating within the two busiest ports in the United States. Lucas Marine is a division of Lucas Oil Products, Inc. - leader in the development of high performance lubricants and problem solving additives. Harbor Breeze CEO Dan Salas, has been operating his fleet of marine vessels for more than 20 years.

In the second half of 2015, Maersk Fluid Technology introduced a new version of its cylinder oil ‘Blending-On-Board’ (BOB) system, targeting medium-sized 2-stroke propulsion engines with a cylinder bore between 420 and 680 mm. Now the first volume order has been placed for retrofit of the SEA-Mate B1000 system onto 12 tankers delivered to Maersk Tankers between 2005 and 2008 – ten vessels equipped with Wärtsilä (WinGD) RTA and RT-Flex engines with a bore between 580 and 620 mm and two vessels with engines designed by MAN Diesel & Turbo. The order has been placed after careful evaluation of the expected payback time, which was found to be less than 2 years when taking the proven fuel savings, system oil and cylinder oil cost reductions into account.

Manufacturer of specialty lubricants Klüber Lubrication has introduced Klüberbio LG 39-701 N, an eco-compatible operating lubricant for open gear drives used in marine applications. Klüberbio LG 39-701 N is specifically designed for manufacturers and operators of open gear drives, jack-up lifting systems or other onboard equipment that is frequently in contact with sea water. Klüber said its new lubricant offers excellent adhesion to surfaces, has good low-temperature behavior and enables operation of open drives in areas with very low ambient temperatures, down to minus 30°C.

Transatlantic eastbound chemical freight rates dropped slightly this week on a continued lull in the spot market, ICIS reports  brokers as saying. It was the second drop in as many weeks. SPI Marine’s most recent weekly report said the lull might signal a bigger slowdown and “embolden charterers to believe the beginning of a weakened state has just begun”. Freight charges on 2,000-tonne cargoes fell to $82-87/tonne from $85-90/tonne previously. And 5,000-tonne cargoes slipped to $63-68/tonne from $64-69/tonne previously. The transatlantic eastbound leg remains by far the strongest shipping route in the Americas, though. Much of the traffic includes chemical tankers headed from Houston to the port complex of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp (ARA).

Selection of gear oil for marine thrusters or a stern tube lubricant for use with propeller shaft bearings is often based on analyzing price/performance characteristics of the lubricant and its availability. Now with the implementation of the 2013 Vessel General Permit, this analysis must be expanded to include environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) that meet the new EPA standards. To meet environmental requirements, EALs are blended from base oils other than mineral oil. They still meet the same lubricant objective – providing long-term equipment protection.

19 ships laden with petrol and other commodities are discharging at the Lagos ports, says Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in its daily publication `Shipping Position’. Three of the ships were laden with petrol, while the others had diesel, steel products, containers, bulk salt, bulk gypsum, fish, fertilizer, rice, general cargo and crude palm oil. No fewer than 36 ships loaded with various products are expected to arrive at the ports in Lagos from March 24 to April 17, the NPA said. According to the NPA, 14 of the ships would sail into the ports with containers, while 11 others are expected to come in laden with petroleum products. The petroleum products include base oil, petrol, kerosene, diesel and aviation fuel.

The new shipyard facility of Honghua Offshore Oil & Gas Equipment Company in Jiangsu, China, has launched its first ship, an IMT982 Platform Supply Vessel. The vessel, Nordic Trym, is expected to be delivered to its owners, Nordic Offshore Supply Limited, in April 2015. According to the builders, the vessel was launched in a unique way, using the yard’s new gantry crane. At 22,000 metric tons SWL the Honghai crane is reportedly the largest moving gantry crane in the world. It was the first time the giant crane has been used.