Global marine lubricant provider Total Lubmarine is making efforts in product innovation to help the shipping community get through the transition period of the incoming 2020 regulations on marine fuel.
“We continue to see an increase in regulation mostly on fuels on an international level as well as specific regional rules regarding bunkering. This in turn affects our supply, as we now have an increased number of products to deal with compared with a decade ago,” says Robert Joore, general manager of Total Lubmarine.
Joore has also seen other suppliers reducing the number of ports because of this increased complexity, but Total Lubmarine has kept the same network despite all the regulatory challenges.
According to Joore, the company has taken the 2020 sulphur cap and the COP21 2°C Target very much into account in its strategy moving forward.
“For the market, it could appear that the reduction to 0.5% sulphur emissions could be easy and it is just a case of tweaking existing products. But, potential issues with compliant fuel quality could lead to poor combustion, and just changing BN levels may not be sufficient to avoid engine fouling, liner scuffing or ring breakdowns – all costly engine issues,” Joore warns.
Joore believes that robust R&D and chemistry can help to further mitigate these issues in the future despite the fact the company already has low BN products in its range today.
Currently Total Lubmarine is working closely with a number of OEMs to deliver a 2020 product that will help customers to ease the pain of the transition.
“Our goal is to help our customers to optimise their OPEX and reduce complexity, ensuring that they make the correct decisions when it comes to lubrication,” Joore maintains.
“We remain passionate about shipping. After all, we are charterers, shippers and marine suppliers – meaning that we are in a position to deliver credible solutions that create value for our customers,” Joore concludes.
