Innospec: Slow steaming offers economic and environmental rewards, but not without sacrifices
While slow steaming may help save fuel cost and lowers emissions, it may end up being a costly endeavour for ship owners. Innospec suggests looking at smart slow steaming instead, shares Nicea Ng.
Slow steaming is often considered the easiest solution for overcoming both economic and environmental challenges.
However, doing so without risking the safety and long term efficiency of ships needs careful consideration by ship owners and operators, shares Nicea Ng, Marine Technical Specialist, Innospec Limited.
“Every vessel has an optimum engine load where the combustion is almost complete and the SFOC (Specific Fuel Oil Consumption) is at minimum level,” states Ng.
“When an engine is running on a low load condition, the cylinder pressure and temperatures are lower which leads to poorer ignition and incomplete combustion of bunker fuel.
“Though reducing speed offers a better CII rating; this may also lead to energy and combustion efficiency losses that cause preventable damage to vessel machinery.
“Vessels with high engine output will need costly retrofit solutions with high CAPEX in order to permanently work at lower loads.
“From experience, slow steaming usually results in a variety of negative effect on vessel engines.”
Adverse effects of slow steaming on ship engines
Poor Atomisation
Higher volume of fuel trapped at the injector tip (sac) delivering uncalculated fuel to the cylinder and increasing the likelihood of dripping. Increased fouling and carbon deposits all contribute to poor atomisation and subsequent drop in performance.
Poor Combustion Characteristics
At reduced ME load operation, inadequate turbo charger speeds are generated to provide adequate air to the combustion chamber, leading to lower combustion efficiency, unburnt fuel and the formation of harmful emissions.
Reduced Air Flow
Reduces engine efficiency and causes fouling in the air supply/scavenge system. Subsequently this can lead to very high differential and exhaust temperatures which can damage engine components and lead to burned exhaust valve as one example.
Cold Corrosion
Corrosive wear on the cylinder liners caused by acid condensation due to the drop in engine operation temperature caused by slow steaming operation.
Fouling Effect
On Turbocharger (turbine side),
On Exhaust Gas Boiler (heat exchanger pipes)
On Injector (clogged nozzles),
On Piston rings (deposit accumulation - lack of sealing)
T/C Untreated fuel
T/C treated fuel with Octamar
‘Smart slow steaming’ with Octamar™ Ultra HF & Octamar™ Complete – fuel treatment systems with Class Verification
Combustion catalysts have a positive impact on the fuel’s combustion profile by providing a faster and more complete combustion of regular fuel at any load condition.
With a significant reduction in uncaptured fuel energy, vessels have seen 2.1-3.9% fuel savings which have contributed to better CII ratings.
“Even till today, issues with slow steaming have remained the same. However, with new regulations and changes in fuel quality over the years, Innospec continues to improve its technology to optimise today’s marine fuel,” informed Ng.
“Octamar™ Ultra HF & Octamar™ Complete allows vessels to slow steam with associated benefits by minimising the adverse effects listed above while improving fuel consumption and emissions.”
The unique treatment package improves energy efficiency of ships by reducing ignition delay, cleaning injectors, and reducing afterburn to mitigate all the issues associated with slow steaming while decreasing combustion properties and early max heat release to maintain energy efficiency.
“ClassNK has also verified several trials conducted over a decade which demonstrated the active fuel consumption (2.1-3.9%) and emissions reduction of Octamar™ technology,” she highlights adding the Octamar ™ solution can be further included in vessels’ SEEMP III.
Note: Readers may contact Innospec Limited for more information on Octamar™ Ultra HF & Octamar™ Complete at: [email protected]
New agreements inked to advance marine electrification in Singapore
Lita Ocean, SeaTech Solutions, Pascal Technologies, and Evoy will develop a fully electric passenger harbour craft, specifically for Singapore, while Yinson GreenTech and Evoy will develop electric vessels.
Innovation Norway and Team Norway on Wednesday (6 November) announced two agreements aimed at advancing sustainable maritime solutions, signed at the Singapore Norway Innovation Conference (SNIC) 2024.
The first agreement—a Letter of Intent (LOI)—was signed by Lita Ocean Pte Ltd, SeaTech Solutions International (S) Pte Ltd, Pascal Technologies AS, and Evoy AS, to develop a fully electric high-speed harbour craft specifically designed for Singapore’s maritime landscape. The second agreement—a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)—was signed between Yinson GreenTech and Evoy, aiming to foster collaboration in marine electrification across Asia.
The LOI signed between Lita Ocean, SeaTech Solutions, Pascal Technologies, and Evoy marks a key milestone in Singapore’s ongoing efforts to decarbonize its maritime industry.
The project will develop a fully electric passenger harbour craft, integrating cutting-edge technologies like advanced electric propulsion and air lubrication systems to maximise energy efficiency and performance. This new vessel will set new standards for sustainable harbour operations and support Singapore’s green transformation goals in maritime transportation.
The collaboration builds on previous advancements in electric harbour crafts in Singapore, positioning the project as a critical step toward achieving maritime decarbonisation and a cleaner, greener future for the region.
Additionally, Yinson GreenTech and Evoy have signed an MoU that will combine their strengths to drive marine electrification in the region. Yinson GreenTech’s electrification solutions, paired with Evoy’s electric propulsion systems, will support the conversion of internal combustion engine (ICE) vessels to electric power and foster the development of new electric vessels.
This partnership is aimed at advancing the transition to a more sustainable maritime industry, with the shared goal of exploring new opportunities, collaborating on upcoming projects, and playing a key role in the broader transition to greener shipping solutions in Asia.
The MoU was signed by Jan-Viggo Johansen, Managing Director of marinEV at Yinson GreenTech, and Mads Roland-Glimsholt, Business Development Manager at Evoy.
“As a proud partner in this Norway-Singapore initiative, Evoy is excited to bring our high-performance electric propulsion systems to Singapore’s maritime landscape. We are committed to setting new standards in sustainable harbour craft and working with our partners to support a greener future in maritime transport” Mads Roland-Glimsholt, Business Development Manager at Evoy.
Malaysia: MMEA detains tanker in Sekinchan waters for anchoring illegally
Investigations found that 13 crew consisting of six Myanmar nationals, four Bangladeshis and three Indonesians, were on board the tanker when detained.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Thursday (7 November) said it has detained a tanker for anchoring without permission in Sekinchan waters.
Selangor MMEA director Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the tanker was detained by a MMEA patrol boat at 9.6 nautical miles southwest of Sekinchan at 5 pm on that day.
Investigations found that 13 crew consisting of six Myanmar nationals, four Bangladeshis and three Indonesians, were on board the tanker when detained.
Further examination of the documents found that the ship's captain failed to present any documents for permission to anchor.
The ship's captain, 56, and chief engineer, 39, have been taken to Selangor MMEA Headquarters for further investigation.
The case is being investigated under Section 491B (1) (l) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952.
ExxonMobil supplies Hapag-Lloyd with B25 bio bunker fuel blend in Antwerp
Firm supplied Hapag-Lloyd vessel “Colorado Express” with 1,320 mt of B25 bio marine fuel blend, which consisted of ExxonMobil’s Premium HDME 50™ fuel and waste-based FAME derived from UCOME.
ExxonMobil on Thursday (7 November) said it supplied Hapag-Lloyd’s vessel Colorado Express with 1,320 metric tonnes (mt) of a B25 bio marine fuel blend in Antwerp.
The blend consisted of ExxonMobil’s Premium HDME 50™ fuel, a 0.10% sulphur Emission Control Area (ECA) fuel, and waste-based fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) derived from used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME).
“The ‘drop-in’ blend met the requirements of ISO 8217:2017 with the exception of the FAME component. The FAME content complied with EN 14214,” ExxonMobil said in a statement.
“The bio component was made material certified as meeting the sustainability requirements of the RED II: feedstocks not in competition with land for food production.”
ExxonMobil’s bio marine fuel blend underwent a range of tests prior to delivery in Antwerp.
The blend offered an estimated 20.1% well-to-wake greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction compared with conventional marine fuel formulations on an energy basis.
“Hapag-Lloyd aims at having net-zero carbon fleet operations by 2045. As part of that commitment, we are continuously looking for opportunities to onboard new bio blends in our fuels mix. We appreciate ExxonMobil’s efforts to supply us with a bio blend with ULSFO, which is another step forward in our decarbonisation journey,” said Ilyas Muhammad, Head of Green Fuels at Hapag-Lloyd.
“We successfully bunkered bio-ULSFO blend at our Colorado Express and so far our operational experience with this product is positive. We look forward to increasing bio-ULSFO consumption in the future,” said Nikolai Doerner, Senior Manager Biofuels at Hapag-Lloyd.
The Colorado Express used the bio marine fuel blend without incident; both NOx and particulate emissions were within accepted limits.
“ExxonMobil is looking for ways to support our customers [to] reduce their GHG emissions,” said Pelin Gillis, Marine Fuels Sales Manager, BNL, ExxonMobil. “We are proud to have helped Hapag-Lloyd on their journey to a lower GHG emissions future.”
“ExxonMobil has greatly extended its range of ‘drop-in’ bio marine fuel blends,” said Armelle Breneol, Marine Fuels Technical Advisor, ExxonMobil.
“We now offer a B25 ULSFO, a B30 VLSFO, a B7 MGO and a B10 HSFO. This will help our customers access the blend they need to meet their engine operations and GHG emission reduction goals.”