“Complex” is a word often used to describe shipping operations. Total Lubmarine customer, Flumar Brazil, part of the Odjfell Group, runs extremely complex operations, transporting bulk liquids to customers up and down the Brazilian coast as well as into Argentina, Chile and the USA.
The company has five vessels, including one 51,000dwt epoxy-coated tanker and four stainless steel vessels ranging in size between 10,000 and 20,000dwt in size.
The nature of this diverse regional trade means that itineraries can change at the last moment and the vessels themselves typically spend a short amount of time in port.
The Total Lubmarine Chile-based team manages all the lubricant requirements for these vessels.
“This can be quite a complex task”, says Erika Orellana, Customer Service Representative who is based in Chile and responsible for ensuring that the right lubricants arrive on the right ship at the right time.
“We must work closely and many times 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with those in charge of purchasing, technical, crew and Superintendents to review the ports of call and to be able to supply the volumes required by the ships, especially if they require main products in bulk. Not to mention the delivery of reagents, consumables and sampling kits!”
This means that Total Lubmarine needs to not only work closely with Flumar Brazil, but also its own network of South and North American offices. Total Lubmarine is able to supply to 31 ports in Brazil alone, in addition to 46 other ports across South America including Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
Total Lubmarine was delighted to receive a congratulatory message from Flumar Brazil earlier this month regarding the Total Lubmarine Chilean office’s analysis of its used oil.
“A member of the Flumar shore based technical team contacted us to receive the results of an analysis which had already been sent to an on-board engineer as well as historical data. I not only sent across the requested data but also provided access to the test results website” says Erika Orellana.
Going the extra-mile is the customer-focused ethos which characterises the Total Lubmarine offer. The company understands that its customers run complex operations and works hard to ensure that its products and services are accessible and readily available around the world.
The Total Lubmarine global laboratory service is supplemented by on-board testing kits known as Tech’Care and Total Cylinder Care (Tech’Care TCC). Tech’Care is an on-board compact laboratory which enables marine engineers to proactively monitor their machinery’s performance and, if necessary, take immediate preventative measures to rectify any problem discovered.