OCEAN PRAWNS makes the switch to fully synthetic
Arctic trawlers face some of toughest conditions imaginable, with freezing sea spray, rough waters and temperatures that vary widely across the seasons.
Unless measures are taken, these conditions will quickly take their toll on equipment, reducing their effectiveness and efficiency and ultimately reducing their operating life.
Lubricants are one of the best ways to protect equipment, and the right lubricant will provide protection specific to the conditions faced.
Mobil SHC™ Gear Series is a range of exceptional performance, fully synthetic industrial gear oils. Mobil SHC Gear 220’s superb wear protection and degradation resistance provided measurable benefits to this arctic trawler
Benefits
Exceptional oxidation and thermal properties and excellent low temperature fluidity.
High viscosity index enables wider operating temperature range and improved low temperature startup.
Outstanding rust and corrosion protection relative to conventional gear oils, even in the presence of seawater contamination.
The Story
Ocean Prawns is a modern shrimp trawler operating in the Arctic Ocean.
Its engine and gearbox must perform reliably from -30°C (-22°F) in winter to 30°C (86°F) in summer.
Since 1996 (approximately 120,000 hours), Ocean Prawns has used Mobil SHC Gear 220 synthetic gearbox oil in the main propulsion gear. During this time, the vessel’s main engine changed from a Wärtsilä 8L32 to a Wärtsilä 18V32, increasing the load on the Rolls-Royce Ullstein 2400 gearbox by 100 per cent.
The solution
Making the switch to fully synthetic
Mobil SHC Gear 220 oil and the SignumSM Oil Analysis programme helped Ocean Prawns A/S to extend the trawler’s main propulsion gear oil drain interval to 120,000 hours, despite operating conditions that included extreme temperatures and a new engine that significantly increased stress on the gearbox.
The classification society approved Ocean Prawns’ use of the new engine with the stipulation that only Mobil SHC Gear 220 oil could be used in the gearbox.