ExxonMobil’s Premium marine fuels have been well received by the industry, helping vessels adhere to the 0.10 per cent Emission Control Areas (ECA) sulphur cap, while also providing significant performance benefits. Major vessel operators are advocating
the use of both ExxonMobil Premium AFME 200 and ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50, and sales continue to grow.
French operator, Brittany Ferries, has endorsed the operational benefits of ExxonMobil Premium AFME 200 after trials on one of its vessels, the Bretagne. When using marine gas oil (MGO), its engine could not be maintained at the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s recommended temperature of below 40°C in order to reach optimum viscosity. This resulted in a considerable amount of leakage and vapour locks in the fuel pump. ExxonMobil Premium AFME 200’s higher viscosity, in comparison to MGO, helped solve these problems while its low sulphur content enabled the ferry to comply with ECA regulations.
ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50, a heavy distillate ECA category fuel, has enabled other customers to minimise the risk of thermal shock complications during switchover between heavy fuel oil (HFO) when entering and leaving an ECA. ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50 needs to be heated and handles similarly to HFO, which minimises fuel temperature differentials helping limit thermal shock problems such as fuel pump seizures and engine shutdowns.
As well as proving successful with major vessel operators, ExxonMobil Premium AFME 200 and ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50 have also received positive feedback from independent fuel laboratories. Test results confirmed that the fuels are compatible with both MGO and HFO with the exception of those with high asphaltene content. As these low-sulphur fuels have a higher viscosity and flashpoint than MGO, they help to reduce operational complexity providing quick, safe switchovers, in addition to minimizing the risk of thermal shock shutdowns.
“These lab results demonstrated that at certain ratios, our Premium ECA category marine fuels are compatible and stable with both HFO and MGO,” said Rob Drysdale, Global Field Engineering & Logistics Manager, ExxonMobil. “However, industry best practice is to avoid mixing fuel where possible. Where this is not possible, it is important to know what fuels you are buying, and test and handle them accordingly.”
Source: ExxonMobil