The upcoming emission regulation not least indirectly affects lubrication. Global supplier Chevron feels prepared well with new products of the Taro Ultra range and optimised supply chains. However, for the future, there is a lot of »we don’t know what we don’t know«
Energy group Chevron has asked its customers about their strategies for the upcoming »Sulphur Cap« of IMO. According to this[ds_preview] survey, 80% of the customer’s vessels will be changing to 0.5 type fuel rather than opting for scrubbers or LNG. That brings a change from the predominantly used 70 and 100 BN down to a 40 BN product.
However, the group will remain active in the markets of LNG or high sulphur fuels. In addition, methanol powered ships are being supplied. »We don’t believe there will be a ›one size fits all‹ for lubrication. The 40 BN will the main product for 0.5 fuel but it will also cover dual fuels. We have a 25 BN, which is dedicated for very low sulphur distillates and LNG. The 40 BN will be able to be used for 0.5 for normal steaming, but it can be used in the ECA regions as well. Our 100 and 140 BN products will be for high sulphur burning with emission control equipment,« Brand Manager Ian Thurloway tells HANSA.
Looking at concepts including so-called »multi-fuels«, he again points at »the one size fits all« which does not exist: »It depends on what those multi fuels are. We work very close with the OEMs and we will do that when there is anything new coming up.« There have already been 65,000 hours of testing across 21 different applications, from LNG to distillates up to high sulphur fuels.
A couple of weeks ago, Chevron has published a white paper for coping with the »IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap«. It explores the impact of ships burning fuels with differing sulphur contents to heavy sulphur fuel oil cylinder oil use. The paper also offers advice from lubrication experts on how to manage the transition between cylinder oils pre-and post-2020.
Apart from the work on the product side, Chevron, supplying over 700 ports around the world, has strengthened its supply chain. While Thurloway does not want to go too much into detail, he explains: »Some of the smaller ports may not have the flexibility to store all potential fuel products. With our new structure, we strengthened our agility within the supply chain to change the coverage very quickly.« It is about a system change and more integration of digital measures.
Not on the horizon – at least not for the moment – is a partnering with start-ups, that aim to enhance business effectiveness, like the German player Closelink tries to do with a web-based platform for trade and procurement of lubricants. In order to make purchasing easier, Chevron recently launched an own system.
The management of Chevron certainly expects more emission regulation in general, although the current shift is seen as a very big change. All in all, the group feels to have done everything it needs to do. The Brand Manager sums up: »For everybody there is a lot of ›we don’t know what we don’t know‹ at the moment. We are ready for 2020. What is going to happen with new hybrid fuels in 2021, 2022 and beyond, nobody knows, but we have the capabilities to test with these fuels, too.«
