Shell provides lubrication for world’s largest containership

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(LONDON) — Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), one of the world’s largest integrated international container transportation, logistics and terminal companies, has appointed Shell Marine to provide its integrated marine solutions which include lubricants and services for OOCL Hong Kong. OOCL Hong Kong is the latest vessel to claim the "world’s largest containership" title with a capacity of 21,413-TEU, 1,312 feet long and 193 feet wide. The ship is equipped with MAN Diesel & Turbo’s G-type engines that represent the latest in two-stroke engine technology. The ship is currently plying routes between Asia and Europe.

Protecting, maintaining and optimizing marine engine performance at a time when engine technology is fast developing can be challenging and complex, particularly during a period when fuel selection and vessel speed requirements are also up for discussion. The G-type engine design used in the OOCL Hong Kong requires close oil performance monitoring and technical support and since the container ship also needs to optimise its performance by tackling very challenging operating conditions, this means that selecting high quality cylinder oil is of utmost importance.

Drawing on its 30-year plus track record with OOCL, Shell Marine laid out its portfolio of cylinder oil options to match the owner’s operating profile and fuel grade expectations as well as to protect the main engine against cold corrosion and optimize feed rates.

“As a supplier, we have considerable experience with Man Diesel’s G-type engines. It was crucial that we shared our knowledge with OOCL at the outset, and that they could offer feedback in the dialogue that ultimately led to the optimal product selection.” said Jan Toschka, Shell Marine executive director.

In addition to Shell Marine’s lubricants, Shell LubeMonitor has been deployed on board OOCL Hong Kong — which includes a cylinder oil condition monitoring service that uses shipboard and laboratory analysis to help optimize engine performance and enable predictive maintenance. The programme includes access to Shell tools and expert advice to help customers strike and maintain an acceptable balance between feed rate related cylinder oil costs and wear-related cylinder maintenance expenses. It is now enhanced with a new software package, Marine Connect, designed to transfer onboard analysis data to the Shell experts easily and securely.

“Working toward the selection of the right cylinder oils is a collaborative process that needs to satisfy engine-maker approvals, as well as the client’s requirement for proven performance. Our technical support needs to be based on the same principles, so that ship operators can monitor the condition of the oil and equipment in the field, and plan effectively when remedial action is necessary,” said Toschka.

By Professional Mariner Staff