Marine Oil

Ultimate Guide to Marine Oils

The shipping industry has continuously received criticism for initiating marine pollution with high sulfur content fuels. With stringent measures for protecting the environment and technological advancements, marine oil came to existence. It is commonly known to be a clean fuel used by large ships.

Benefits of marine lubricants

This clean fuel oil helps in conserving marine life as it contains a low concentration of sulfur contents. Marine lubricants tend to be a vital necessity for any marine engine as it provides excellent energy ideal for propelling a naval vessel. It also helps generate power onboard by utilizing the energy obtained from the combustion of fuel oil.

Contents of marine lubricants and oils

Marine oil has a sulfur concentration of about 0.10 to 1.50%. That’s why most users call it a low sulfur fuel oil (LSFO), this implies that marine pollution is at its lowest. It also contains a mixture of the light cycle gas oil (LUGO), which has approximately 60% aromatics concentration. This results in a high density of marine gas oil that is often closer to 860kg/m3 at temperatures of 150C.

Types of marine engine oil
We have two main kinds of marine fuel oil used in the shipping industry.
• Residual Marine engine Oils
It’s a diesel oil that requires combustion before its use by your shipping vessel.
• Purified Marine engine Oils
This kind of oil requires no heating before using it with your vessel. It can be further grouped as DMA fuel, which tends to have a glossy and vibrant look.

Marine heavy fuel oil treatment methods

Bunker tanks usually contain heavy marine engine oils, which makes it impossible to use the oil directly. Therefore, they require treatment for practical usage and includes:

  • Pre-heating and draining
  • Using purifiers to remove water and sludge
  • Filtering to block metal particles
  • Using chemical additives for a variety of tasks

Marine engine oil comes in different types to work with either low speed, medium speed, or high-speed engines. You should obtain marine fuel for your ship from a reliable and certified oil supplier for better engine performance.