New Total Lubmarine Head Charts Company Direction in Context of Tighter Sulfur Regs and Tough Shipping Market

Robert Joore is Total Lubmarine's new General Manager.

Total Lubmarine's new General Manager, Robert Joore, on Monday at the company's headquarters in Paris, outlined his vision for the future of the marine lubricants supplier, which will focus on the development of a range of solutions for ship operators in the context of a difficult market and increasing regulation on sulfur emissions.

"Total Lubmarine believes that innovation is the key to success. In 2017 we will continue to invest heavily in developing a generation of marine lubes which are suitable for engines running both low and high sulfur fuels," said Joore.

"At the same time, we anticipate that the demand for environmentally acceptable lubricants (EALs) will continue to grow, driven by the rising numbers of ships trading in the Polar regions."

As Ship & Bunker reported in September, Total Lubmarine has launched Talusia Optima, a cylinder lube oil that is compatible with high sulfur heavy fuel oils, as well as ultra-low sulfur distillate fuels, intended to simplify the management of vessels operating within and outside of emission control areas (ECAs).

"Total Lubmarine is committed to playing its role in helping its shipping clients develop long term strategies that allow them to operate profitably whilst at the same time complying with ever stringent regulations," said Joore.

Joore points to tough market conditions in the shipping industry as another area in which the company can assist vessel owners.

"Many of our customers have been battling with low freight rates for almost ten years. Lubes are of course a big part of any shipping company's daily operating costs and we are very focused on helping our customers reduce their lube consumption as well as extend the life of engines and vessel equipment in a practical way.

"We will continue to offer a customised feed rate reduction programme to all our customers, visiting customer's vessels and ensuring that their on-board teams are making best use of our lubes."

Last week, Ship & Bunker reported that CMA CGM S.A. (CMA CGM) had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Total S.A. (Total), Total Lubmarine's principal, for the supply of "a range of multifuel solutions."