TotalEnergies Lubmarine has launched a lubricant for four-stroke medium-speed marine engines that it says could reduce vessel fuel consumption and associated carbon emissions.
The company said laboratory testing of its Aurelia FE trunk piston engine oil had demonstrated average fuel savings of 1.5% compared with an equivalent reference lubricant.
The tests were conducted across the International Maritime Organization’s standardised E3 cycle, which is used for marine engine testing. According to TotalEnergies, the testing methodology was independently approved by Bureau Veritas.
The company said field testing had indicated the potential for greater savings under operating conditions but did not provide quantified results.
Aurelia FE can be introduced without equipment modifications, vessel downtime or operational disruption, according to the company. It said the lubricant had accumulated more than 100 000 hours of service experience, although it did not disclose how many vessels or engines were involved.
TotalEnergies also said the product had received what it described as the industry’s first approval of its kind from a major marine engine manufacturer. The manufacturer was not identified in the announcement.
TotalEnergies Lubmarine vice-president Louise Tricoire said the lubricant had been developed to help shipowners improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions without compromising engine performance or reliability.
