Shell will supply a new marine lubricant for engines that run on bunker fuels with a sulphur content of less than 0.5pc.
The 40 base number (BN) product will be available in Singapore from 1 June and then in other ports where Shell supplies in the US, China, UAE and the Netherlands ahead of 1 January 2020, when the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 0.5pc sulphur cap on marine fuels comes into force.
The base number is a measure of alkalinity and the capacity of the lubricant to neutralise sulphuric acid that is formed during the burning of fuel in a combustion engine. The introduction of 0.5pc very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) blends, and higher use of marine gasoil (MGO), in the bunker fuel industry from 2020 will drive demand for marine lubricants with a low BN.
Other suppliers are developing formulations that will be released throughout the year. ExxonMobil and Total Lubemarine have also formulated 40 BN marine lubricants compatible with 0.1pc and 0.5pc sulphur fuels.
Most of the global shipping fleet will switch to bunker fuels with less than 0.5pc sulphur content to comply with the IMO cap. The switch will replace high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) as the bunker fuel of choice, and require shipowners to also use marine lubricants with a low BN. ExxonMobil, Total and Shell recommend using 25-70 BN marine lubricants with low sulphur fuels, and 100-140 BN lubricants with high-sulphur fuels.
Shipowners that choose to install exhaust gas cleaners, known as scrubbers, to be compliant with the IMO, can still use HSFO together with a high-BN marine lubricant.
Shell has previously said it will offer VLSFO and 0.5pc sulphur distillate marine fuels at 21 ports worldwide, including the four main bunkering hubs Singapore, Rotterdam, Fujairah and Houston.
