Total Lubmarine to supply new Panama Canal power plant

LEADING international marine lubricant supplier TOTAL Lubmarine has secured a contract to supply lubricating oil to the Miraflores power plant in the Panama Canal. This installation is located near the existing locks, a few miles from Panama City.

Total Lubmarine’s innovative Talusia Universal lubricating oil will be used on two low-speed MAN B&W 12K80MC-S engines which will form part of the expansion of the Miraflores installation, the first two-stroke stationary power plant in Panama and Central America, a market previously dominated by four-stroke power plants.

Serge DAL FARRA, Head of Marketing at Total Lubmarine, says, “This is a highly prestigious order for Lubmarine, secured in competition with all major oil companies worldwide. It is an endorsement of Lubmarine’s products and services, and recognition of its role as a leading supplier of lubricants to the power plant sector. Both the Panama Canal authorities and MAN acknowledged Lubmarine’s industry knowledge, technical and logistical expertise, product availability and proven service levels of service excellence.”

Lubmarine has been working in Panama since 2011 under a marketing co-operation agreement with Maxum Oil Services, which includes the distribution of marine and power plant sales in Panama. As part of this agreement, Lubmarine’s Aurelia TI products have been used to lubricate three new power plants in the region.

TOTAL Lubmarine will supply 350 tons of lubricant to the new Miraflores plant during March and April this year, in accordance with the exact delivery needs of the Panama Canal authorities. Serge DAL FARRA says, “Tank trucks and product facilities are ready to meet the supply demands of this new project, without compromising our present supply agreements with our vessel network and existing power plant clients.”

Total Lubmarine is the worldwide marine lubricants network of oil major Total. As a key industry player, Total is committed to achieving a level of excellence which meets its customers’ needs by providing the right product, in the right place, at the right time, backed by first-class support and expertise.

For more information:

Serge DAL FARRA

Total Lubmarine Marketing and Analysis Department

+ 33(0)1 41 35 95 55

serge.dal-farra@total.com

Lubmarine expands global network with new Copenhagen facility

LEADING international marine lubricant supplier Total Lubmarine has extended its global network of service and supply centres with the opening of a dedicated commercial and supply hub in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Already a significant player in the Nordic region, especially in Norway and Denmark, Lubmarine is now able to offer ship owners and operators an international-class local sales and logistical service in the Danish capital.

Serge Dal-Farra, Head of Marketing at Lubmarine, says, “We believe in having a presence wherever in the world our customers need us. Our new operation in Copenhagen forms the latest link in our worldwide chain, and we look forward to welcoming customers, old and new, to our dedicated facility there.”

Lubmarine is the worldwide marine lubricants network of oil major Total, benefiting from the Total group supply chain facilities and connections. As a key industry player, Total is committed to achieving improved market share and a level of excellence which meets its customers’ needs by providing the right product, in the right place, at the right time, backed by first-class support and expertise.

 For more information:

Serge Dal-Farra

Total Lubrifiants / Lubmarine

serge.dal-farra@total.com

+ 33 (0)1 41 35 95 55

MARINE LUBRICANTS UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

As shipping turns to slow steaming to reduce costs and faces increased emissions control measures, the process and challenge of procuring marine
lubricants has taken on greater complexity and significance, according to Total Lubmarine, one of the world’s leading global supplier of marine lubricants and greases.

The North American Emissions Control Area (ECA), which will be effective from 2012, will impact 50% of maritime traffic, forcing ship owners and operators not typically operating in ECAs to begin use of lower basicity cylinder lubricants required for lower sulphur fuels.

This increasing trend is likely to create issues for ship owners and operators when leaving ECAs, as lower BN lubricants are not best suited to operation with higher sulphur fuels outside ECA boundaries.

Moreover, the use of lower basicity cylinder lubricants within ECAs runs directly counter to the lubrication requirements for slow steaming or other conditions outside ECAs, which conversely require owners and operators to run specific lubricants.

With rising bunker prices and growing charterer pressure to reduce costs, slow steaming looks set to stay. Most container vessels have cut cruising speeds from 22-25 knots to 18-20 knots, but in the case of extra slow steaming, to as low as 8-12 knots, which significantly increases stresses and strains on a two or four stroke marine engine.

Patrick Havil, Global Marketing Manager, Total Lubmarine, said: “We know that ship operators are under pressure to deliver against current and impending Sulphur Oxide (SOx) and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) regulations, reduce bunker fuel costs through
slow steaming and meet safety standards to protect both their workforce and the environment.

"At the same time they need to maintain a clear competitive advantage through
reliable, consistent operations and ensuring profitability. Faced with this, the industry needs a new generation of marine lubricants that not only offer significant cost savings and better performance, but are also compatible with different levels of sulphur, and the great demand for slow steaming.”

Total Lubmarine has been addressing these issues for some time now and has developed the complete solution to this two-fold challenge. Talusia Universal has been tested more extensively than any other lubricant on the market today, against both high and low levels of sulphur heavy fuel oil (HFO), and has been validated by customers using distillates and slow steaming.

Havil continued, “We’re confident this product will effectively future-proof all vessels and is a significant step forward for the industry. Talusia Universal is the only lubricant compatible with fuel at all sulphur levels, meaning that the need to switch lubricants when moving in and out of an ECA is completely removed. Based on this, we are already developing the perfect lubricant for the 2015 market that will give optimal performance with the highest sulphur content HFO right down to lower sulphur content fuels.”

Total Lubmarine provides the shipping industry with leading marine lubricants and greases, associated with first-class service. To earn the confidence of its customers, it commits itself to meeting their expectations. It offers a complete range of marine lubricants to meet the needs of the international shipping industry, based on technologies developed by the Total Research Centre at Solaize, tested and approved by all the major marine engine manufacturers.

Dedicated and motivated local logistics teams are able to deliver lubricants in more than 1,000 ports. A highly qualified technical service team is ready to assist customers throughout major ports worldwide.


www.lubmarine.com