NEWS
Lubrication Oiling the cogs of trade
Almost as soon as the latest wide range BN lubes hit the market the oil companies have announced that they are developing a new range of lube oils that will meet future requirements. Slow steaming, significant reductions in SOx, NOx
and particulate emissions and the increase in the use of LNG as a fuel in dual fuel engines all pose a significant challenge to the lubrication companies. “It is not possible to continue with the current
chemistry with the future constraints,” says Jean Philippe Roman, technical director at Total Lubmarine. As a result Total is in the process of patenting a “new
chemistry”, says Roman, “it is a new technology with a new architecture and not a second Talusia Universal” he emphasised. Te patent will cover the formula and chemistry for an
oil that lubricates without the use of calcium carbonate thereby reducing wear and tear said Roman, who would not elaborate further on the new lubricant. He says more information will be released aſter the field trials, which started in spring 2012, because “we must be certain that it works before we can reveal more,” he says. Shell has also said that it is looking at the next
developments in wide range lube oils, though Loh Seng Yee, global marketing manager at Shell, would not elaborate further. Te company announced the launch of Alexia S4 in July this year, but Shell says that its customers “want simplicity and not to have to worry”. Loh says that fuel specifications will change as will
the fuel supply, which will change the available fuels and so the company has a “roadmap” so that it can see what is coming and plan for the changes, “we are doing the research” to meet these new challenges, says Loh. “We are already working on the next generation of lube oils,” he added.
Classification Better ships, cleaner air
Global shipping soſtware provider NAPA has collaborated with the Japanese Classification society ClassNK to develop weather routing and optimal trim soſtware. Te system offers an analytics service with “decisions
support” in order to help owners improve the efficiency of their vessels. ClassNK says the system will undergo extensive testing on a ship that is currently owned by the Imabari shipyard. ClassNK also announced that it has signed three
European companies bringing a further eight ships onto its books, which have already swelled to more than 200 million GT. In a departure for the class society, which mainly deals with Japanese owned vessels, ClassNK has signed
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contracts with BF Shipmanagement for three 700TEU container ships, Rederei Hamburger Lloyd for a 4,620TEU container vessel and Blumentahl, which has signed a deal for a 2,500TEU container ship and three Capesize bulk carriers. Yasushi Nakamura, executive vice president at
ClassNK, says: “Te companies have signed with us because we can offer a 24/7 service with technological advantages at a competitive price.” Two of Blumenthal’s Capesizes are under construction
at the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding yard and the class society says it will be involved in the design appraisal and building wok from the outset. “We had a strong weapon in connection with the
harmonised rules,” explains Nakamura, “only ClassNK has CSR soſtware to date.” He added that the class society will be able to offer design support to more than 20 projects simultaneously whether they are in China, Korea or Japan.
Investments Graig and GMI work with
Chinese Cardiff-based Graig Group and Global Maritime Investments are extending their co-operation to provide Chinese shipyards with safe havens and tailor-made solutions for problematic deliveries. Working together, the two groups will provide yards with employment and management for vessels which have been built, but which cannot be delivered to the owner. Hugh Williams, CEO, Graig Group, says: “Tere are
many shipyards in China which are facing problems delivering ships or which are effectively building for their own account because owners cannot meet their commitments. Tey need good commercial and technical management for the ships to get them into operation and an exit route for the future. GMI has access to investors and employment opportunities and Graig knows the yards and ships and has the technical and crewing management expertise to get the ships into operation economically. Together we can help yards ride out this crisis of delays and cancelled deliveries.” Adding to this Steve Rodley, managing partner of
GMI says: “In a prolonged poor market complicated by a deluge of new tonnage there are real opportunities for people with access to capital and employment. We have that, and with Graig we have the Chinese connections and technical competence to take up these opportunities. Ships which have been built but, which would otherwise end up as fire resales or stuck in the yard can be put into service by us and later sold on when the market improves. Our large physical portfolio and robust freight management systems provide a low-risk pool for tonnage, which is why we are the charterer of choice for risk-savvy
The Naval Architect October 2012
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