Page 23: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2012)

July 2012 marinelink.com23Last month Castrol Marinestaged a presentation of an ex- tension of its cylinder oil range, an extension designed to address emerging problems linked to the recent trend toward slow steaming and decreased sulfur content. In 2008, when the world economy ef- fectively tanked, global commerce came to a standstill and fuel prices started torise, ship owners reverted to slow steam- ing ? slowing ships down from their de- sign speed ? to save on fuel and to keep commercial traffic humming at optimum capacity. In conjunction, the world has progres- sively tightened the vise on emissions, and in particular the sulfur content in ma-rine fuel has been on the decrease, asmandated by global and state regulation. Nearly four years later, it seems that slow steaming is here to stay, at least for the coming three to five years, and emerging now are engine maintenance issues from the practice.Castrol Marine, a leader in the marinelubricant field, has extended its cylinder oil range to address concerns about en-gine damage and performance as slow steaming and fuel sulfur content restric-tions bite. ?Slow steaming is changing the marketplace, and we believe that we need a product to address that need,? said Paul Lowther, Global Marketing Offer Manager, Marine Lubricants, Castrol Marine. ?This is a solution to a very re- cent problem. Three years ago slow steaming did not exist. We?ve been work- ing very closely with MAN and Wärtsilä in the development of this product.? ?It has been shown that slow steaming, in some cases a 5 knot reduction in speedcan lead up to a 50% reduction in fuelcosts,? said Lowther. ?With bunker prices rising , and certainly in the next three to five years we feel that slow steaming is here to stay. Some of the effects of slow steaming are really only coming intolight now; one of those is corrosive wear of liner surfaces in the piston rings. This has consequences on two levels: one is you have to replace the cylinder, which could cost between $40,000 to $65,000(times an average of 12 cylinders per ves- sel, it can add up quickly.) In the best case scenario it means reconditioning thecylinder, which has its own costs and down times.? The Product Castrol Marine launched Cyltech 80AW, an 80 BN (base number) cylinder oil. The Cyltech range was developed for optimum engine protection in two-stroke crosshead engines and specifically to match engine performance with the de-mands of varying sulfur fuels and the im- pact of slow steaming. ?Problems can occur if you get a mismatch between theBase Number of a lubricant and the fuelsulfur content,? said Paul Harrold, Tech- nology Manager, Marine & Energy Lu- bricants, Castrol Marine. ?Under certainhigh load conditions, a mismatch be-tween low fuel sulfur levels and cylinder oil BN may lead to excessive deposits on piston crowns and rings.? Castrol says this premium product isthe logical next step in assuring ship owners that the right lubricant is available to meet vessel needs in all operating con- ditions. The Cyltech brand now spans the 40 - 80 BN range. ?Our customers face ever tightening regulations on the envi- ronment, but also new operational chal- lenges brought about by slow steaming,? says Luigi Tedesco, Castrol Marine Chief Executive. ?Cyltech 80 AW offers a proactive response to new industry reali- ties.? As a result of research, field trials and engine inspections, Castrol believes that each vessel should use a single cylin- der lubricant based on that vessel?s pre- dominant operating conditions. Where 40 BN cylinder oils may suit vessels perma- nently operating in Emissions ControlAreas, the supplier has concluded thatthose of 70 - 80 BN are better suited tovessels regularly slow steaming and on international trade, even those involved in frequent ECA transits. ?Any imbalance between cylinder oil feed rate, BN and power compromises engine efficiency,? said Harrold. ?Slow steaming may bring lower lubricant feed rates and, when higher sulfur fuels areused, a higher lubricant BN protects theengine against potential damage. It also limits the amount of burnt cylinder oil in exhaust gases, thereby cutting emis- sions.? Both slow steaming and sulfur content have direct consequences for fuel efficiency, maintenance costs, lubricant consumption and environmental respon- sibility, said Harrold. Cyltech 80 AW is available now via Castrol?s main regional distribution hubs. ?It is critical for owners that the right cylinder oil is readily available for use to protect performance and vessel safety, particularly in prevailing commercial conditions at a time when they face tighter environmental regulation than ever before,? said Jonathan Hutchinson, Castrol Marine Global Marketing Man- ager. Cyltech 80 AW is approved by both MAN Diesel and Wärtsilä. According to Castrol, it is the only product approved by Wärtsilä for use at minimum feed rates for fuels up to 3.5% sulfur. ?By selecting the right cylinder oil for the right operating conditions, slow steaming customers can use less fuel con-fident in the knowledge they are not risk- ing damage to their engine, and that iswhy we now recommend Cyltech 80 AW for many customers,? said Harrold. Which BN is Right for You? As Castrol extends its range of cylinder lubricant, it recommends:40BNThe cylinder lubricant for pre- dominant low sulfur (ECA) operation 50BNRecommended when not slow steaming under fuel sulfur levels <2.5% 70BNThe cylinder lubricant for nor- mal international trade on high sulfurfuels and ECA transit80BNThe cylinder lubricant for de- manding operation on high sulfur fueland slow steaming/super slow steaming. Cyltech 80 AW Castrol Extends Cylinder Oil Range to Address Issues Surrounding Slow Steaming, Sulfur Content ?It has been shown that slow steam-ing, in some cases a 5 knot reduction in speed can lead up to a 50% reduc- tion in fuel costs,? said Paul Lowther, Global Marketing Offer Manager, Ma- rine Lubricants, Castrol Marine. ?Slow steaming may bring lower lubri-cant feed rates and, when higher sul-fur fuels are used, a higher lubricant BN protects the engine against poten- tial damage,? said Paul Harrold, Tech- nology Manager, Marine & Energy Lubricants, Castrol Marine. Castrol Marine presented an extension of itscylinder oil range atPosidonia 2012.The extension is de-signed to address emerging problems linked to slowsteaming.MR#7 (18-25):MR Template 7/9/2012 2:31 PM Page 23