Shell’s marine-oriented arm has published a new whitepaper providing guidance for ship operators as they transition to meet the low-sulphur caps being introduced by the IMO at the start of next year.
The whitepaper, titled IMO 2020 Ready, provides information on engine care and lubricant selection and discusses the technical, operational, and commercial hurdles that customers may face both before and after the January 1 introduction of lower sulphur caps. More specifically, the whitepaper helps ship operators to select the most suitable cylinder oil, depending on whether they continue to use high-sulphur fuel oils together with an approved scrubber system or switch to a low-sulphur fuel.
The Global General Manager at Shell Marine, Joris van Brussel, said:
“Engines running on lower sulphur fuels are in general best served by lower base number cylinder oils, although recommendations depend on engine type and operating conditions. As a trusted partner delivering to over 700 ports, we will help our customers to have the right lubricants in the right place…”
The whitepaper also highlights some of the risks to engine performance that may arise while transitioning to a new fuel, pointing out that Shell LubeAnalyst and Shell LubeMonitor will play an invaluable role in providing sufficient warning to avoid engine failure and keeping maintenance costs down. The document also points out how Shell has developed Shell Alexia 40 as its primary cylinder oil for low-sulphur fuels and indicates that four-stroke engines may need to switch to a lower BN Shell Argina or Shell Gadinia.
