Maersk Tankers places volume order for Maersk Fluid Technology's "BOB" lube-oil management system
In the second half of 2015, Maersk Fluid Technology introduced a new version of its cylinder oil ‘Blending-On-Board’ (BOB) system, targeting medium-sized 2-stroke propulsion engines with a cylinder bore between 420 and 680 mm, Wake Media Ltd reported.
Now the first volume order has been placed for retrofit of the SEA-Mate® B1000 system onto 12 tankers delivered to Maersk Tankers between 2005 and 2008 - ten vessels equipped with Wärtsilä (WinGD) RTA and RT-Flex engines with a bore between 580 and 620 mm and two vessels with engines designed by MAN Diesel & Turbo.
The order has been placed after careful evaluation of the expected payback time, which was found to be less than 2 years when taking the proven fuel savings, system oil and cylinder oil cost reductions into account.
The ordered BOB systems are simple to retrofit onboard existing vessels and will be installed during 2016 without the need to interrupt vessels schedule. With the systems installed the vessels will be able to blend from 30-140 BN cylinder oil, utilizing the in-use system oil as a base-oil. The system is fully approved for the MAN Diesel & Turbo and Wärtsilä (WinGD) engines in question.
Tommy Thomassen, CTO Maersk Tankers commented “With the flexibility of the B1000 Blending-On-Board (BOB) system from Maersk Fluid Technology, we get the ability to match our cylinder oil lubrication to the fuel sulphur. The BOB system is expected to facilitate up to 40% reduction of current lube-oil consumption, cleaner main engine system oil and fuel savings of at least 0.5% for both MAN Diesel & Turbo and Wärtsilä (WinGD) 2-stroke engines. Investing in BOB allows Maersk Tankers to stay flexible and ready for future lubrication challenges”
The benefits are explained further by Sune Lilbaek, Head of Sales and Marketing at Maersk Fluid Technology “When switching from traditional lubrication oil to our future-proof blending system, vessels will be able to reduce lubricant supply to the lowest allowed consumption of lubricant as specified by the engine manufacturer. This is possible because cylinder lubricant from the BOB system always will be matching the sulphur content in the fuel. The BOB system also facilitates better engine performance through utilization of the in-use system oil as a base for the cylinder oil. This way, it will be possible to add fresh system oil to the main engine, improving overall cleanliness and viscosity of the system oil.
When significant volumes of fresh system oil is added to the main engine lubrication and hydraulic circuit, it is documented to result in less wear of critical mechanical & hydraulic components. This also makes it possible to reduce purifier sludge and facilitates proven fuel savings up to 1.5% as a result of more optimal system oil viscosity properties.”
In addition, three of the 12 vessels will be equipped with the SEA-Mate B4000 analyzer, making it possible for the vessels to closely monitor the iron levels in the cylinder oil scrape-down, facilitating further optimization of the lubrication system for the different engine types in the series of vessels.
All elements of the system have been verified by the 2-stroke engine designers who have issued official approvals or no-objection letters.
About Maersk Fluid Technology
Maersk Fluid Technology is a fully-owned subsidiary of A.P. Moller – Maersk Group, and provides best-in-class, cost-effective and technologically leading solutions for clients' lubrication needs. Their products have been developed since 2008 starting out as an idea, materializing into a concept and through years of field testing, it has turned into the globally patented solution named ‘Blending-On-Board’ lubrication system and the “SEA-Mate XRF Analyser” for wear analysis and monitoring. The products are today branded as SEA-Mate® and the concept is based on propriety technology designed to enable the operator to custom blend a fit-for-purpose cylinder lubricant from recycled 2-stroke engine system oil and a high BN cylinder oil product.
Maersk Fluid Technology has pioneered the fit-for-purpose lube-oil revolution and has installations onboard more than 200 vessels owned and operated by Maersk Line, Maersk Tankers, Hapag Lloyd, Cosco, Wallem, AMCL and others, as well as installations at 2-stroke engine power plants. The unique concept of making a fit-for-purpose cylinder oil using system oil and blending it with a high BN cylinder oil product not only ensures an optimal match between fuel and cylinder oil, but also allows owners to keep the system oil fresh which has a proven positive effect on engine maintenance and performance. The concept has been developed within the Maersk group of companies in cooperation with the major engine designers.
UK-based company Wake Media Ltd is an international Maritime & Offshore marketing consultancy.