HANSA 01-2019

Schiffstechnik | Ship

Schiffstechnik | Ship Technology The challenge that lies ahead for the maritime community is that in the future it will be moving into a »multifuel era«, which will provide a challenge to all those involved in the process. Currently, there is a range of lubricant oils on the market ranging from BN 25 through to BN 140, with the higher BN numbers coming into play through the discovery of cold corrosion through slow steaming. With new fuels being introduced to the market, it is expected that a BN number of around 40 will be needed for engines that run this range of fuels. For this Total Lubmarine is also developing its own lubricant that is set to also meet the challenges of the future environmental regulations. »We’ve seen that you can mess about with the standard oils on the market to make something that will work, but we have decided to develop a new lubricant that will be launched later in 2019«, Dal Farra says. He continues to explain that although there are BN40 oils on the market, these are not right for modern combustion and a redevelopment of this oil needs to be done. Due to the range of fuels that we could see on the market in the future, another challenge will be to keep the engine clean, as these fuels are still an unknown factor for owners. The latest development from Total Lubmarine has taken things right back to the start again and additives that have detergency have now been added to the product. Dal Farra highlights that there are three main options for shipowners to be compliant in the future, blended fuels, scrubbers or LNG. He adds that Total believe that LNG will take the lead as studies are showing that this fuel is coming out the most compliant for shipowners to use. Not only that but Total have also recently signed two contracts with CMA CGM to supply its nine ultra large containerships that are under construction with LNG. Preparing for the IMO 2020 Total is also working on developing a new compliant fuel for the market. As 2020 gets close, the market is slowly taking steps to choose the right solution. Uncertainty still resides in the industry with no clear outcome until 2020, where the clear winner will be the solution that works. Steps are taken by both OEM’s and shipowners to meet with the challenges ahead. n »A lot of R&D needed – Who is capable?« Shell Marine, as lubrication part of a large oil and gas company, considers itself well positioned for the future, especially in view of the new regulations around the IMO’s »Sulphur Cap 2020«. The choice of lubrication obviously depends on the fuel or the technology used, be it a scrubber, LNG or low and ultra low sulphur fuel oil. Shell believes, a significant part of the market will shift to fuels with less than 0.5% sulphur, where other cylinder oil formulations with a lower BN number is expected to deliver optimum performance. This will be a mixture of very low sulphur Joris van Brussel, General Manager Shell Marine fuel oil (VLSFO) and distillate fuel. It is expected that 30% of the market could be using scrubbers by 2025-2030, which is likely to see demand recover for higher BN lubricants, although their use may then drop off if new environmental legislation restricts use of scrubbers. However, LNG technology is taken care of, too. »We are as much a gas company as we are an oil company. So we really believe in the future of LNG and therefore we have lubricants to serve LNG driven vessels«, Joris van Brussel, General Manager of Shell Marine, tells HANSA. A major focus is placed on joint development work with engine manufacturers with tests at the Marine & Power Innovation Centre (MPIC) in Hamburg. There, Shell has a number of engines and own testing is done, before products are going into field trials. With regard to the Sulphur Cap, there is quite a lot of need for testing – even although there are not so many market-ready low sulphur fuel oils available, yet . Van Brussel thinks, on the product side, there is still insecurity: »Think about the crew on board, they have to handle these new products. They might know the engine very well, but do they know the products in the engine? Fuel quality is probably going to vary, because people are also blending things.« »We intend to partner with shipowners« With the group’s own »Miles« programme, Shell intends to do analysis and to do it much quicker. »We intend to partner not so much with the bunker suppliers but with shipowners. We want to ensure that they are able to have something that is going to work reliably for the crew«, the general manager adds. One aspect is the on-going trend towards more automation on board. Shell is working on some projects in this field. »We are using algorithms and machine learning. Still the crew and the shipowner need to be able to operate the ship, but they need the right information for that. In this respect, we do a lot of sensor testing with engine manufacturers«, van Brussel says. The post-2020 scenario poses different challenges for slow speed cylinder oils to the ones OEMs have been focusing on over recent years, where BN80-BN100 oils have been needed to defend newer engines against cold corrosion under part-load conditions burning higher sulphur fuels. 0.5% fuel use will drive demand towards lower BN oils. »The two-stroke product portfolio for 2020 is largely in place, but we expect that there will be a requirement for significant volumes of higher BN cylinder oils to be replaced by BN40 or BN70 grades«, Shell stated already. Latest work at the MPIC is focusing on the final tests of a new 40BN cylinder oil for two stroke engines that is already undergoing field trials and is expected to be available in the market in the early part of 2019. Being asked whether the challenges for the whole industry and the need for intensive and costly research might lead to a consolidation on the lubrication market, too, van Brussel says: »The industry is full of players. In the future, we will see much more different fuels. We have the capability for the whole range of products. But that requires a lot of capacity and investment in R&D. I don’t know to what extend everybody is capable of doing that.« MM © Shell 64 HANSA International Maritime Journal – 156. Jahrgang – 2019 – Nr. 1

Schiffstechnik | Ship Technology CLOSELINK First online procurement platform for marine lubricants The Hamburg based start-up Closelink wants to provide more transparency to the procurement process for one of the major cost drivers in ship management. Since March 2018, Closelink offers the first online procurement platform for marine lubricants. In the past years, a great number of new manufacturers, distributors and traders has entered the market for marine lubricants which provides buyers with a greater variety of options. »These options are important to ensure smooth operations in times of changing vessel trades (e.g. driven by China’s Belt and Road Initiative) and a growing number of vessels per ship manager due to the ongoing market consolidation,« says Philippe Lavarde, Managing Director of Closelink. With Closelink, lubricants purchasers have the chance to put negotiated terms in comparison with offers from other suppliers registered on the platform. The online platform provides quick support in case of short-term emergencies or deliveries in remote ports. In addition, Closelink allows purchasers to compare different lifting scenarios with a single mouse click and automatically provides visual reporting. »Suppliers get direct access to the increasing spot market for lubricants and a standard communication process« Through the Closelink platform, suppliers have a direct access to the increasing spot market for marine lubricants and a standardized communication process. Whereas the homogenization of products continues, suppliers have the opportunity to differentiate in terms of service offering, product availability and supply infrastructure. Due to the changes that will be unfolding in the marine fuels market with implementation of the IMO’s 0.5% sulphur cap from 2020 onwards, the choice of the right engine lubricant becomes more obvious; the task is to either match LNG, low sulphur or high sulphur fuel. Ensuring a global availability of the particular product becomes a greater challenge. Going forward, Closelink expects engine manufacturers to take greater responsibility by providing clearer product specifications to ensure standard qualities among different manufacturers. The Closelink founders are one of the five start-up teams that were able to qualifiy for the Next Logistics Accelerator programme. More than 100 teams from all over the world had applied for it. Within the coming six months, the start-ups will work on their business moldels, expand their network and search for investors for their next growth phase. n HANSA International Maritime Journal – 156. Jahrgang – 2019 – Nr. 1 65