The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2020 emissions regulation radically changed the industry’s fuels landscape, which in turn raised questions amongst vessel operators about cylinder oil selection.

To allay these concerns, ExxonMobil developed Mobilgard™ 540, a cylinder oil specially formulated for use with 0.50% sulphur fuels. The aim was to offer an oil that maintained continuity of engine cleanliness, delivering peace of mind to vessel operators.

The 40 BN oil was developed using ExxonMobil’s balanced formulation approach, which helped to optimise its performance without compromising on features and benefits. As a result, a wide range of vessel types have successfully switched to Mobilgard 540 without experiencing any issues.

Continuity of operation

Mobilgard 540 has been in use for over a year on numerous vessels, of various types, in different operating conditions and from different engine manufacturers. Data from ExxonMobil’s onboard Mobil Serv℠ Cylinder Condition Monitoring service revealed low levels of liner wear following the changeover to Mobilgard 540.

Some vessels also reported:

• Enhanced levels of liner cleanliness due to the oil’s detergency
• The opportunity to safely lower cylinder oil feed rates

These benefits have the potential to reduce cylinder oil expenditure and enhance cylinder liner-related maintenance. In some instances, the use of Mobilgard 540 simplified operations by enabling vessels to use a single cylinder oil for both 0.50% sulphur fuels and distillates, removing the need for time-consuming cylinder oil switchovers. 

“Our findings clearly demonstrate that Mobilgard 540’s balanced formulation delivers benefits to a wide range of vessels running on low sulphur fuels,” said Frans Horjus, Global Marine Lubricants Manager, ExxonMobil. “Visual inspections of the vessels’ engines showed consistent or improved liner cleanliness, while scrapedown oil analysis revealed stable BN and iron levels. Taken together, these benefits deliver the peace of mind operators want when running on low sulphur fuels.”

To find out more about Mobilgard 540 click here.