Nippon Yuka Kogyo develops additive for low-sulphur gas oil for shipping

Nippon Yuka Kogyo, a subsidiary of Japan's second-biggest shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), has developed an additive for low-sulphur gas oil, according to Akika Hamakawa of IHS Maritime 360.

Nipon Yuka said the product would improve the safety of bunkering equipment.

Generally, various additives are needed to improve lubricity and prevent mould, but Nippon Yuka Kogyo's product, Yunic750LS-F, has been developed to have both functions.

Low-sulphur gas oil is normally used only in emission control areas due to its higher price. It is usually stored in the gas oil tanks over an extended time. Nippon Yuka Kogyo claims that due to this, its product can prevent mould caused by condensation leaking into the gas oil tank.

The new additive prevents blockages of fuel equipment caused by the growth of mould as well.

HFRR tests show that Yunic850LS-F produced a value of 460 micrometers or less, which is the level that engine makers recommend. The HFRR test is a standardized method of evaluating the lubricating ability of fuel oil, and the lower the value is, the better the lubricity.

Nippon Yuka Kogyo has filed patent and trademark applications for its new product.

Meanwhile, NYK has received recently the approval from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for its ballast water management system, SKY-System.

NYK group company Nippon Yuka Kogyo Co. Ltd. has developed the system with Katayama Chemical Industries Co Ltd,, a Japanese company known for its environmental production technology.

This is the first system to reliably sterilize organisms irrespective of the quality of the ballast water such as seawater, brackish water, freshwater and ice-cold water.