Marine fuel supplier Verde Marine Energy (VME) said it has expanded its service portfolio with the supply and procurement of marine lubricants, from Tuesday (1 September). 

As part of this development, Patrick Koers will join the Verde Marine Energy team as Lubricant Trader.

The addition of marine lubricants marks a further step in broadening Verde Marine Energy’s offering to the maritime industry. Alongside its existing bunker activities, VME will now also support shipowners, operators and other maritime customers with their lubricant requirements.

Koers brings 40 years of experience in shipping and lubricant trading and will be responsible for developing and managing the lubricant activities within Verde Marine Energy. Having previously managed lubricant procurement, he will continue these activities from within VME from 1 September, while further developing the service for third-party customers.

Through the new lubricant service, customers can turn to Verde Marine Energy for the sourcing and procurement of marine lubricants, supported by market knowledge, technical understanding and an international supplier network. The addition also creates the opportunity for customers to combine their marine fuel and lubricant requirements through one point of contact.

In addition to marine lubricants, VME can also source AdBlue and urea products used in Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from marine engines. This complements VME’s existing activities aimed at supporting customers with lower-emission solutions.

Joe Tierney, Head of Trading at Verde Marine Energy, said: “Adding lubricants to our portfolio is a natural extension of our existing activities. We already work closely with customers on their marine energy requirements, and this allows us to support them in another important part of their vessel operations. Patrick brings the experience and market knowledge needed to further develop this activity within Verde Marine Energy.”

Koers adds: “I am looking forward to joining Verde Marine Energy and continuing to develop the lubricant business from within VME. By combining the existing lubricant expertise with Verde’s bunker activities and customer network, we see a good opportunity to further strengthen the service we can offer to both existing and new customers.”

With the addition of marine lubricants, Verde Marine Energy further strengthens its service offering and its ability to support customers across their marine fuel and lubricant requirements.

For lubricant enquiries:

Patrick Koers
Lubricant Trader
Verde Marine Energy B.V.
[email protected]
[email protected] 

Photo credit: Verde Marine Energy
Published: 2 September, 2026

Independent European marine lubricants supplier Lube Synergy OÜ on 16 July became an authorised distributor and channel partner of Petronas Lubricants International for the supply and distribution of its marine engine lubricants and related secondary products, learned Manifold Times.

The authorisation covers the marketing, sale, storage and delivery of Petronas marine lubricant products, including but not limited to marine engine oils, hydraulic oils, gear oils, compressor oils and greases, to vessels operating within the designated ports and marine service locations: which includes:

• Spain
• Denmark
• Panama
• Egypt
• Netherlands/Belgium/Germany
• Las Palmas (Canary Islands)
• Togo
• South Africa

“We are honoured and deeply appreciative to have been selected as an official authorised distributor and channel partner of Petronas marine engine lubricants,” Aleksandr Antonov, General Manager, Lube Synergy, told the bunkering publication.

“This appointment reflects the confidence placed in Lube Synergy’s capabilities, service standards and commitment to supporting vessel operators with reliable, high-quality lubrication solutions across key marine markets.

“We look forward to working closely with Petronas Lubricants International to deliver value, responsiveness and technical support to our customers and grow the business.”

Interested parties may contact Lube Synergy below:

Aleksandr Antonov
Genera Manager / Lube Synergy OÜ
Phone: +372 5344 9690
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.lubesynergy.com

Photo credit: Lube Synergy
Published: 29 July 2026

With synthetic engine oils playing an increasingly important role in modern machinery and marine operations, Joe Star, Strategic Account Manager of marine fuels testing company VPS on Tuesday (7 July), said the key to unlocking the full value of synthetic lubricants is condition-based oil analysis:

A Demanding Environment

Across the United States, many vessels operating offshore and across the country’s inland water ways are powered by high-speed engines. These engines provide one of the most demanding lubrication environments for engine oils to manage.

Engines frequently run at high loads, switching between long periods of continuous operation and shorter stints alternating between idling, standby and high loads during manoeuvring.

Such load changes, temperature variations and extreme conditions, along with the unique operating profile, vessels encounter, place extreme stress on engine oils. This results in leading Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM’s) typically recommending drain intervals averaging only 250 operating hours. As a consequence, operators regularly assess the use of synthetic based oils, given the performance and commercial benefits that can be realised based upon extended drain intervals.

Whilst synthetic oils offer clear and significant performance advantages, the successful adoption and monetisation of a higher unit cost base product, depends upon implementing a structured and effective oil analysis program. 

The Synthetic Difference

As engine designs, pressures and temperatures have continued to evolve to keep pace with fuel efficiency needs and requirements, a similar situation has evolved across lubricating oils. With higher pressures and temperatures, the stress on the oil has never been greater. Requiring sufficient viscosity, stability, oxidation control and wear protection capabilities, to be prioritised by lubricant formulators.

Synthetic oils are typically granted a longer drain interval by the equipment manufacturer (OEM) and are proven to be able to achieve this due to their high Viscosity Index (VI) capabilities and the largely uniform molecular structure when compared to mineral oils.

In mineral-based oils, molecules can vary in size and shape, leading to inconsistent lubrication and film creation and most importantly can exhibit a quicker breakdown under heat and increased rate of oxidation. This leads to the low 250 operating hour drain interval, typically recommended in operation.

In theory, Synthetic oils have been proven to be able to significantly extend drain intervals to more than 5-6 times the OEM recommended mineral equivalent, with no performance or reliability issues. However, monetising and ensuring that this is completed, requires a mindset shift from scheduled drain intervals to a condition-based approach based upon routine oil analysis. Adjusting and extending drain intervals can mitigate the most common issue which challenges this practice, which is external contamination in the form of fuel dilution or water ingress.

External Contamination and Fuel Dilution

Due to the operational nature of many vessels which use high-speed engines as a primary source of propulsion, fuel dilution and water ingress are some of the most common occurrences of external contamination, limiting the lifespan of lubricants within engines.

Through leveraging VPS’ MyLubes digital application, extracting results reported so far in 2026, it can be seen that approximately 26% of all high-speed engine oil analysis, in which distillate fuels were in operation, were reported as either a caution or an alert against relevant limits.

70% of the cautions and failures reported were through a combination of Viscosity, Flash Point or Base Number; highlighting the fuel and lubricant interaction; as Viscosity failures covered both elevated and lower Viscosity values. Elevated viscosity being a sign of oxidation and lower viscosity indicating fuel dilution respectively.

Fuel dilution is when fuel enters the crankcase or sump and mixes with the engine oil in the system. Typically, it is distillate fuel (Marine Gas Oil) which is the fuel choice for these engines.

Vessel’s that are more susceptible to fuel dilution are vessels which operate on frequent start-stop cycles, prolonged idling and low-load operation, where operational profiles require short bursts of high load, this can promote fuel ingress into the lubricating oil.

Critically, when looking to maximise lubricant lifespan, VPS data shows that approximately 23% of caution/failed high-speed engine oil analysis results are due to fuel dilution, highlighting that in these instances, either mineral or synthetic based lubricants are not being maximised.

Fuel dilution has a direct impact on overall lubricant performance, notably:

• Viscosity reduction, leading to increased metal to metal contact
• Reduced flashpoint, leading to safety risks and onboard management requirements
• Accelerated lubricant degradation and corrosion, leading to reduced component lifespan

Mineral and Synthetic based oils are both equally susceptible to fuel dilution occurring. In addition there are financial considerations to manage fuel dilution when Synthetic products are in place, due to the increased unit cost. Ensuring prompt detection and resolution is the most effective tool to effectively minimise the real-world impact of fuel dilution on lubrication strategies.

Monetising a more costly lubricant

Whilst typical mineral based engine oils drain intervals are approximately 250-500 hours, depending upon the engine make and model, synthetic oils have been able to extend drain intervals to over 2000 hours. The benefit to operators is clear on paper, with synthetic oils typically costing 2-3 times more than mineral equivalents. Provided drain intervals are extended beyond 3 times the mineral equivalent, a significant budget saving can be achieved by the operator.

Notably this creates a shift in operating mentality, moving from a time-based approach to a condition-based assessment of oil quality; meaning that a robust oil analysis programme and sampling interval becomes more important, not less.

In addition to providing the most effective early warning with regards to fuel dilution and contamination, a robust Oil Condition Monitoring (OCM) programme is the critical enabler to safely and reliably extending drain intervals with synthetic, or mineral based engine oils.

At a high level, based upon operational experience, VPS’s core recommendations for an effective programme to support extended drains include:

• Sampling intervals at least twice per drain cycle: Increasing frequency if fuel dilution is observed, or engines are operated at low loads for extended periods
• In practice, sampling every 200-300 hours is strongly recommended, typically 6-8 times per drain interval for Synthetic lubricants
• Oil samples to be taken following representative running of the engine
• Close monitoring of any deviation of trends, through digital platforms
• Integration of lubricant sampling and data into Maintenance systems
• Assessment of common limiting factors across fleets and engine types

Lowering Cost

Fundamentally, with high-speed diesel engines being the workhorse of inland waterborne transportation and offshore vessels; lubricants will be a critical part of the total system and subsequent operating cost.

Synthetic based products offer a benefit on paper when compared to mineral oils, however if such products are consumed at the same rate as mineral oils, there is no benefit to expenditure, and more money is spent for the same outcome.

Drain intervals can only be safely extended, and subsequently monetised, through a robust oil analysis programme. In the demanding environment of inland and offshore operations, oil analysis provides more than a measure of lubricant condition; it also delivers valuable insight into the condition of the engine itself. By routinely monitoring oil health, identifying contamination, wear trends and degradation at an early stage, operators can take timely corrective action, protect engine reliability, extend oil life and ultimately reduce operating costs.

Photo credit: VPS
Published: 8 July, 2026