Chevron Marine supplies 40 BN Category II lube oil

The lube oil will be used in the LNG-fueled MAN ES 7S60 ME-C GI 12614 kW low-speed engines installed in the SIEM Aristotle (shown) and SIEM Confucius car carriers. (Photo: SIEM Car Carriers)

Chevron Marine Lubricants has made its first delivery of a 40 BN Category II lube oil designed to meet MAN ES requirements for mk9 and above two-stroke engines. With delivery of the first stem of the new Taro Ultra Advanced 40 to SIEM car carriers, the lube oil becomes one of the first 40 BN Category II lubricants to be available in major shipping hubs in commercial volumes.

Following implementation of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 0.5% sulphur cap for marine fuel in 2020, MAN ES defined two performance standards for lube oils intended for use in its two-stroke engines. Category I (existing) lubes could still be used in Mk 8 and earlier engines, while higher Category II lubes would be required for Mk 9 and later engine models.

The lower sulphur content in marine fuels meant lubricants with lower base numbers would be needed. However, they also had to match or exceed the cleanliness achieved when using typical two-stroke lubes of around 100-140 BN, Chevron noted. Until suitable 40 BN oils were developed, MAN ES advised operators to alternate between 100 BN and 40 BN oils, based on scavenge port inspections and its analysis of oil drainage samples.

A key requirement in MAN ES’ assessment of candidate oils for its Category II standard was that they provide the same level of engine cleanliness as high-BN lubes. In April 2022, Taro Ultra Advanced 40 became one of the first oils to be granted a ‘no-objection letter’ (NOL) by MAN ES confirming it can be used continuously without the need to switch to high-BN lubes.

Pat McCloud, general manager, Chevron Global Marine Lubricants

“We successfully completed the development of Taro Ultra Advanced 40 and met the MAN ES Category II requirements through thousands of hours of development work in the lab and field testing in collaboration with our technology partner and customers,” said Pat McCloud, general manager, Chevron Global Marine Lubricants.

While approval tests took place on vessels with a MAN 8G80ME-C9.2 engine burning very low sulfphur fuel oil (VLSFO), Chevron noted that Taro Ultra Advanced 40 can also be used with other low-sulphur fuels, such as ultra-low sulphur fuel oil (ULSFO), LNG and methanol.

This versatility will be particularly important for the SIEM car carriers. The oil will be used in the LNG-fueled MAN ES 7S60 ME-C GI 12614 kW low-speed engines installed in the 7500-car capacity sister ships, SIEM Aristotle and SIEM Confucius. These deep-sea car and truck carriers are equipped with dual-fuel engines designed to operate on both LNG and marine gas oil.

Starting in September, Taro Ultra Advanced 40 will be available at major ports across Europe and Asia Pacific, including Singapore and Rotterdam. It will be rolled out across Chevron’s global network over the next couple of months.