Passenger ship manager opts for environmentally friendly stern tube lube

Miami-headquartered International Shipping Partners (ISP) has reached an agreement with Castrol Marine for the supply of Castrol BioStat, a range of stern tube lubricant grades formulated to deliver enhanced performance and reduced environmental impact when compared to conventional mineral oil equivalents.

ISP offers shipowners a broad range of comprehensive passenger ship management services and holds the ship management industry’s highest quality assurance certification, the InterManager Quality Assurance Certificate.

Kenneth Engstrom, Executive Vice President of ISP said: “At ISP we continually endeavor to enhance our ship management services in all areas. ISP has achieved certification in ISO 9001- Quality and ISO 14001 Environmental Management from Bureau Veritas. Choosing Castrol BioStat is an extension of our principles and particular concern for preservation of the marine environment.”

The first ISP vessel to switch to Castrol BioStat was the cruise ship Quest: the stern tube was filled with BioStat 220 during routine drydocking inspections at Helsingborg, Sweden. The following ISP vessels are also currently using Castrol BioStat grades in their stern tubes: Clipper Adventurer; Clipper Odyssey; Corinthian II; Gemini: Ocean Nova. Plans are in place to use BioStat on additional vessels as their drydockings take place.

John Nolan, Technical Manager for Castrol Marine Americas, said: “Castrol BioStat is specifically designed for stern tubes to deliver effective lubrication with up to 20 percent water contamination, significantly more than is possible with conventional mineral oils. This allows continued operations under faulty conditions, helping operators to minimize downtime. Additionally, Castrol BioStat affords better protection of bearings and gear components, when compared to conventional mineral oils, to help avoid unscheduled inspections and repairs.”

Castrol Marine says that BioStat has reduced environmental impact when compared to conventional lubricants, including demonstrable benefits in the following environmental performance areas:

• Superior biodegradation
• Significantly reduced bioaccumulation (Using OSPAR criteria for assessing bioaccumulation potential) and toxicity
• Enhanced renewability

March 10, 2011