Total reports increased lube oil sales

Since its launch in 2008, the company says that more than 3,000 vessels have adopted Talusia Universal, with over 70% of Lubmarine’s customers now using the cylinder oil, which is claimed to have successfully clocked millions of hours across multiple routes and a range of engine types. Lubmarine claims that Talusia Universal is unique in providing a one-step solution for managing ECA transitions and the demands of slow steaming – which it says has prompted a demand increase for the product averaging over 100 vessels per month since December 2010. The significant growth in Asian sales was partly attributed to ship owners and operators trading across ECAs and recognising the lubrication challenges posed by switching between high and low sulphur fuel.

According to Total, Talusia Universal is the only cylinder lubricant currently available that is compatible with fuel of sulphur levels from 0.5% up to 4.5%, meaning that the requirement to switch lubricants to match different fuel sulphur levels is removed. This, says the company, simplifies onboard operation as only one cylinder oil has to be managed. This is in turn is said to improve safety because there is no risk of mismatching the cylinder oil while changing bunker fuels with a different sulphur content.

Lubmarine’s technical director, Jean-Philippe Roman, explains that Talusia Universal represents a new generation of marine cylinder lubricants required to effectively meet the challenges facing ship owners and operators now and over the coming years. Having engaged in dialogue with its customers and OEMs, Lubmarine’s team developed Talusia Universal’s characteristics to ensure:

• better handling and control of the deposits resulting from contaminations and varying operating conditions;
• better control of lubricant degradation to avoid detrimental lack of performance during its lifetime on the liner surface;
• significantly higher resistance to wear to insure the reliability of the high rated engines; and
• flexible basicity with high neutralisation efficiency to cover operations with the whole range of fuels available.

Roman said: “To meet the demands of tomorrow, the chemistry of marine cylinder lubricants must change today. The right choice of lubricants has become increasingly significant to ensuring both efficient vessel operation and environmental regulatory compliance. We know that ship owners and operators are under tremendous pressure to deliver against current and impending SOx and NOx regulations, reduce bunker fuel costs through slow steaming and meet safety standards to protect both their workforce and the environment. All of which can place conflicting demands on marine engines.”

To address this, Total Lubmarine has developed and patented a new design of marine cylinder lubricant based on ash-free neutralising molecules (ANM). The Talusia Universal ANM product will, says Total, manage the evolving demands associated with future use of HFO and distillates. The new chemistry will provide improved detergency and thermal stability; extended deposit control due to a lower calcium content; high neutralisation efficiency and increased anti-wear ability.

Roman concludes: “Amid an ever-changing regulatory landscape, we understand that our customers need to maintain a clear competitive advantage through reliable, consistent operations as they strive for profitability in continuing turbulent times. The success of Talusia Universal and development of new patented chemistry for marine cylinder lubricants is testament to Lubmarine’s commitment to delivering tomorrow’s lubricants today.”

Lubmarine says its strategy is to provide innovative products with global availability, in some 1,000 ports.