Shell Marine announced last week that it had successfully completed the approval process of MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) for its new Shell Alexia 40 XC cylinder oil. MAN ES is the world’s leading provider of large-bore diesel engines. The approval was confirmed following the receipt of a full No Objection Letter (NOL) from MAN ES confirming the successful application. The NOL was administered after completion of the Main NOL Service Test and Confirmation Test for Alexia 40XC. The company indicated the Shell Alexia 40 XC product will be made available at major ports from Q3, 2022, on a progressive basis.

Shell Alexia 40 XC is a Category II (Cat. II) 40BN cylinder oil developed for engines operating with very low sulphur fuel oil (<0.5% sulphur fuel) and liquefied natural gas, and with the latest engine designs (Mark 9 and higher).

The company emphasised the importance of the project and its commitment to supporting the adoption of more efficient engines and cleaner fuels. “With the industry focused on reducing emissions, engine technology is continuously evolving to deliver higher efficiencies when operating with very low to zero sulphur fuels,” said Dr Luis Garcia, technology manager for Marine and Engine Lubricants at Shell Marine.

Shell Alexia 40 XC was developed by Shell Marine’s in-house Research & Development team in close collaboration with MAN ES following the receipt of a service letter from MAN ES in May 2020. The service letter outlined a new cylinder oil strategy designed to raise the performance level of cylinder oils by dividing them into two performance categories (Cat. I and Cat. II), of which Cat. II is the overall higher performing category. Cat. II cylinder oils have excellent overall performance with a special focus on cleaning ability, said MAN ES. 100 and 140 BN oils were the first cylinder oils to go through the Cat. II process.

“Upon receiving the service letter issued by MAN ES, we embarked on developing an in-house solution that would provide a similar level of cleanliness and performance as 100 BN products,” said Garcia.