Dole is in the business of delivering perishable goods from Central America to customers in North America and Europe. But following the introduction of the 0.1% sulphur cap imposed within Emission Control Areas (ECAs) off the US Coasts in 2015, the company realized it had a problem.
Each year Dole Food Company’s fleet of 15 container and reefer ships call at ports across the US East, West and Gulf Coasts, as well as Europe. Following the introduction of emission control areas (ECAs) off the US Coasts, Dole realized that two of its ships, ‘Dole Chile’ and ‘Dole Columbia’, which had been transporting fresh fruit for 15 years, were suddenly suffering from rapid cylinder wear. It took more than two years of adjustment and experimentation with different cylinder lubrication systems before the situation returned to manageable levels. Despite this, liner wear rates and ring breakages were still much higher than normal.
In late 2017 that changed. Dole was informed by its lubricant partner, Total Lubmarine, of its newly developed base number (BN) 100, marine cylinder lubricant, TALUSIA OPTIMA. The solution enables fuel switching when transiting both in and out of ECAs without the need to change lubricants, while also ensuring reduced wear rates and abrasive deposits. Reporting on the impact of TALUSIA OPTIMA, the Chief Engineer aboard ‘Dole Chile’ commented: “Since switching to TALUSIA OPTIMA, there has been a significant improvement in under piston space condition, piston rings and cleanliness. We were always having trouble with unit seven. This unit liner was changed and today we have inspected all the units, and unit seven’s liner is as good as new, honing marks still present, there is no sign of liner polishing at all.”
TALUSIA OPTIMA has been designed to make ship operators’ daily work as straightforward as possible. By not needing to switch lubricant, the task of the engine room team is streamlined and the potential for error significantly reduced.
- To learn more about TALUSIA OPTIMA
- To read Dole Food Company testimonial, click here.