ExxonMobil launches new marine fuel to meet ECA sulphur limitsExxonMobil launches new marine fuel to meet ECA sulphur limits

ExxonMobil Premium Heavy Distillate Marine ECA 50 (HDME 50) is a new category of marine fuel formulated to meet the 2015 ECA sulphur limit.

According to ExxonMobil the new product offers performance benefits associated with both marine gas oil (MGO) and heavy fuel oil (HFO).  The fuel contains a low sulphur content associated with MGO, and has the higher flashpoint and lower volatility properties typically found in HFO, it states.

The higher viscosity of ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50 makes storage and handling the fuel on board similar to HFO.  With the fuel having to be heated, the risk of thermal shock to engine components is reduced during switchovers when entering and leaving an ECA.  Thermal shock can result in fuel pumps seizures and engine shutdowns.

Prior to its introduction, ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50 was tested with Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, a leading shipping and logistics group, and is suitable for use in main and auxiliary engines and marine type boilers. 

Following successful field trials, the new fuel has received No Objection Letters from MAN Diesel & Turbo (MDT) for use in MAN B&W two-stroke and MAN B&W Holeby genset designs, provided MDT’s specific engine type guidelines are followed.

‘We have developed and launched ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50, a new category of low sulphur fuel, to help marine operators meet the increasingly stringent ECA rules beginning in Jan. 2015,’ said Aaron Cobb, director, ExxonMobil Marine Fuels and Lubricants.  ‘ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50 complements our existing MGO offer and enables operators to choose a fuel that meets their specific requirements,’ he added.

ExxonMobil Premium HDME 50 is already in use by a range of vessel operators.  It is available from Antwerp via barge delivery for vessels operating in the Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp (ARA) region.  In addition, ExxonMobil continues to offer MGO at more than 40 ports worldwide.