(EnergyAsia, May 30 2011, Monday) — ExxonMobil and Total of France are stepping up their promotion and marketing of lubricants to industrial and marine users in Asia.

ExxonMobil showcased its Mobil SHC synthetic industrial lubricants as offering superior quality and reliability to the upstream oil and gas sector at an industry event in Indonesia on May 18-20, while Total promoted its marine lubricants to the ship owners and operators in Singapore in April.

At the 35th Indonesian Petroleum Association Annual Convention (IPA), ExxonMobil said its synthetic industrial lubricants are formulated to help oil and gas producers enhance the performance of their critical equipment and maximise productivity.

Ian Davidson, the company’s Global Industrial Marketing Manager for Mobil Industrial Lubricants, said:

“Mobil SHC lubricants support productivity, safety and environmental care by helping to reduce downtime and increase equipment reliability. An innovative, fuel efficient natural gas engine oil, Mobil SHC Pegasus delivers exceptional equipment protection and can help reduce fuel consumption by up to 1.5%, compared to standard gas engine oils.

“Our extensive research and development programs enable us to remain at the forefront of lubrication technology.  Our high-performance products, such as our comprehensive range of Mobil SHC-branded synthetic lubricants are ideal for oil and gas producers.  They are expertly formulated and deliver exceptional equipment protection even under the most demanding operating conditions.” 

With a long-standing presence in Indonesia since 1898 and investments exceeding US$19 billion, ExxonMobil has an extensive local portfolio providing high-performance products and technical services to Indonesian importers and customers.

Headquartered in Jakarta, the company has 850 employees at its affiliates in Indonesia, with nearly 90% of them Indonesian.

PT ExxonMobil Lubricants Indonesia markets the company’s lubricants under the Mobil brand through its nationwide distributor network.

Total Lubmarine

At the recent SEAS event in Singapore, Total Lubmarine, a world leading supplier of marine lubricants and greases, spoke on the growing pressure on the shipping industry to control operating costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The North American Emissions Control Area (ECA), which comes into force next year, will impact 50% of maritime traffic, forcing ship owners and operators not typically operating in the areas 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, Total Lubmarine’s global marketing manager, 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 said it 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.

Mr Havil said: “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.”