Susesea’s Bulk Carrier Fleet Gets Efficiency Boost from Chevron Cylinder Oils
Susesea's bulk carrier MV Bordo Mavi (Credit: Susesea)
Susesea's bulk carrier MV Sorsi (Credit: Susesea)
Turkish shipowner Susesea has streamlined its vessels operation by upgraded the cylinder lubrication strategy across its fleet of six bulk carriers with Chevron’s Taro Ultra Advanced 40 (TUA 40).
Working with Chevron Marine Lubricants and its regional distributor, Petrol Ofisi, Susesea has reduced cylinder oil feed rates by approximately 33%, delivering both technical and commercial benefits.
The six Japanese- and Chinese-built vessels, each with an average deadweight of 64,000 tons, are all equipped with MAN Mark 9 engines.
These two-stroke engines demand high detergency lubrication to help maintain piston and ring land cleanliness, particularly when operating on very low sulfur fuels.
Previously, Susesea’s engineers alternated between MAN Category I and Category II lubricants to manage this requirement, following a set schedule of three days on Taro Ultra 40 (Cat I) and one day on Taro Ultra 100 (Cat II). The system was effective, but complex.
By transitioning to a single Category II 40BN product, Susesea not only simplified onboard practices but also opened up new opportunities for procurement efficiency and long-term maintenance planning.
Chevron’s TUA 40 has since become the preferred choice for all six vessels.
“Upgrading to a single Taro 40 solution means that we can now complete large-scale purchases in strategic ports like Singapore and carry a full year’s supply. That has proven to be extremely efficient for our operations.
“We initially decided to switch to Chevron Cat II 40BN cylinder oil based on two main advantages: improved cleaning performance compared to 100BN oils, and cost reduction. Altogether, Cat II 40BN oil has delivered great value for performance,” said Bilge Kagan Dogan, Technical Manager at Susesea.
Learn more about Chevron's marine lubricants in Maritime Reporter TV's interview with Ayten Yavuz, GM, Chevron Marine Lubricants:
As part of the implementation, Susesea worked with Chevron and Petrol Ofisi to conduct scavenge port inspections at each port of call and track iron content and base number retention onboard.
Feed rates were reduced in controlled increments of 0.1 g/kWh, with all six vessels ultimately achieving consistent operation at 0.8 g/kWh.
The results confirmed not only compliance with Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cleanliness targets but also improved piston ring and ring land condition across the fleet.
With visual inspections reporting improved scavenge cleanliness and liner condition, the shift to TUA 40 also helped reduce task complexity for onboard crews. Inventory management and maintenance planning have since become more straightforward and less prone to error, supporting higher levels of operational uptime.
“It was a pleasure working with Susesea to support their adoption of Taro Ultra Advanced 40. By closely monitoring the results and managing each step together, we helped ensure a successful outcome. Chevron is committed to providing practical, data-driven lubrication solutions tailored to each customer’s operational needs,” added Georgia Chaloulou, Technical Field Specialist at Chevron Marine Lubricants.
