Americas News
Wärtsilä: Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant Switch Not Required with New System
Wärtsilä Corp. (Wärtsilä) says vessels using its propeller shaft sealing systems do not need to switch lubricants under a new U.S. environmental regulation and can continue using mineral oil in U.S. waters.
The company says its Airguard and Oceanguard systems meet guidelines set out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its 2013 revised Vessel General Permit, which came into force in December 2013.
The rules call for commercial vessels of over 24 meters to switch to an Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant (EAL) unless they are using allowable sealing systems.
The Wärtsilä systems avoid oil-to-sea interface using an air chamber or separation space to capture water or oil leakage, which is transferred to inboard tanks.
"This completely eliminates oil drips or leakage into the sea," Wärtsilä said.
The EPA rules require the systems to be functioning normally and that they prevent any reasonable possibility of oil leakage in the case of system failure.
EALs cost 38 percent more than conventional lubricants, according to an EPA analysis discussed by Fathom in a breakdown of the new U.S. rules published by Ship & Bunker in July.
