Connect with us

Business

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.

Admin

Published

on

shaah shahidh subrrYxv8A unsplash v2 BIG

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)
rsz innospec 1
T/C Untreated fuel
Picture 2
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.

Screenshot 2023 05 29 at 12.25.22 PM

“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.

Screenshot 2023 05 29 at 12.25.40 PM
horizontal innospec info

Note: Readers may contact Innospec Limited for more information on Octamar™ Ultra HF & Octamar™ Complete at: [email protected]

Related: Innospec Inc. retains Gold rating from EcoVadis for sustainability performance
Related: ClassNK verifies improved engine performance data of Innospec Octamar™ Combustion Catalyst Series
Related: Innospec Fuel Specialties technical bulletin: Considerations when heating VLSFO and Case Studies
Related: Innospec Fuel Specialties technical bulletin: Why are there no Cold Flow Improvers (CFI) for VLSFO?
Related: Innospec Octamar HF-10 Plus receives ClassNK certification for VLSFO stability performance
Related: Innospec highlights important overview on handling fuel instability issue of VLSFO|
Related: Innospec launches Octamar™ series of additives for new blends of IMO 2020 bunker fuels

Photo credit: Innospec/ Shaah Shahidh on Unsplash
Published: 29 May, 2023

Continue Reading

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Admin

Published

on

By

RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July). 

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions. 

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Continue Reading

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Admin

Published

on

By

RESIZED Drew Beamer

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

  • That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

  • that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
  • that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
  • that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd. 

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

Continue Reading

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Admin

Published

on

By

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. 

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post. 

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024. 

 

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026

Continue Reading

Trending