MSC marine lubrication contract

Lukoil has been chosen as the preferred lubricant supplier for the latest addition to the MSC family, the MSC OSCAR, which is the largest container vessel built in terms of capacity at 19,224 teu.The marine lubricants firm already supplies over 100 vessels in the MSC fleet so this is a continuation of a long term relationship between the two parties.

Lukoil said that in future all MSC vessels will also use LUKOIL’s intelligent oil lubrication system, the iCOlube marine lubricant system.

The iCOlube unit optimises the company’s Navigo 100 MLC cylinder oil by adding either fresh or used engine oil, such as Navigo 6SO. It’s a pioneering technology which not only makes engine operation easier but also contributes considerably to protecting the environment.

Because the unit means that the engine will always be running at an optimum feed rate and an optimum Base Number (BN), this reduces the risk of carbon deposits and cold corrosion and in turn means increased time between overhauls and reduces demand for spare parts.

After calibration and setup, only the fuel sulphur content needs to be entered. The unit automatically calculates the optimal ratio of NAVIGO 100 MCL and system oil improving efficiency even further.

Considering only the aspect of climate change, the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on iCOlube show that it enables a 13% reduction of CO2 equivalent.

This means that over one year, a fleet of 12,500 ships could save more than 525,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, equal to taking 225,000 cars off the road.