Total Lubmarine: Shipowners Choose Single Oils for Safety, Simplicity

Marketing Manager Serge Dal Farra said four-fifths of the company's customers use a single oil solution

Ninety-three percent of ship owners and managers who use single oils for marine lubricants believe the main benefits are safe operations, savings in lubricant handling, and simplicity for crew operations, according to a poll carried out for lubricant provider Total Lubmarine.

"We understand that amidst ever more stringent environmental standards and increasing fuel costs, operating successfully in today's marine industry and preparing for the challenges of tomorrow demands that vessels must deliver optimum performance and cost effectiveness," said Marketing Manager Serge Dal Farra in an emailed press release.

"With four-fifths of our customer base using a single oil solution, the results of our survey support our strong conviction that 'single solution' universal lubricants represent the future of marine cylinder lubrication."

The survey also found a 90 percent increase in the use of bio-lubricants since 2009, with 69 percent of respondents saying they will buy, or are likely to buy, eco-friendly products in coming months.

The largest drivers for the use of bio-lubricants were regulation and environmentally friendly company policies.

Changes to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Vessel General Permit (VGP) will drive more adoption of environmentally friendly lubricants, Total Lubmarine said.

The company introduced its first universal lubricant in 2008, and 80 percent of its customers now use the product, it said.

The company, a subsidiary of French energy and oil group Total, has expanded over the past year with a commercial and supply hub in Denmark and a new relationship with a Pakistani supplier.