Partnership Promotes Seawater Lubrication

Posted by Eric Haun December 15, 2014

Scott Groves (left), Business Development Manager at Thordon Bearings, and Leslaw Hnat (right), Chairman of the Board of MSR Gryfia, sign an agreement that affirms the companies’ efforts to convert ships to seawater lubricated propeller shaft lines from oil.

Thordon Bearings Inc. signed a letter of intent (LOI) under which it will cooperate with MSR Gryfia of Poland to promote the conversion of ships to an open seawater lubricated propeller shaft Thordon bearing system from a sealed oil lubricated propeller shaft bearing system.

The LOI will create an action plan in which a Ship Conversion Team, comprised of MSR Gryfia and Thordon Bearings representatives, that promotes this initiative to the marine community. The goal of this movement will be to offer support to ship managers/owners seeking to proactively ensure that vessels are environmentally-safe to meet existing and future global legislation which prohibits any discharge of oil from sea/ocean going vessels. Failure to observe these types of existing legislation typically results in substantial penalties and fines for the incompliant party.

“There is a worldwide movement to reduce or eliminate pollution from ships,” said Scott Groves, Business Development Manager at Thordon. “Leaking shaft seals are known to be a significant contributor to ongoing pollution at sea. The use of biodegradable lubricants, which are an improvement over mineral oil, are still a very expensive option for ship owners and some are having seal compatibility issues. Even biodegradable lubricants still need to be reported to authorities when discharges occur. Thordon provides a solution that uses seawater as the lubricant that meets all regulations, eliminating any risk of oil pollution.”

Pawel Prozycki, Director of Marketing at MSR Gryfia, said, “By entering into this partnership with Thordon Bearings Inc., MSR Gryfia will not only have an opportunity to grow but will also have the opportunity to offer their customers a real long term solution to environmental issues relating to the AFT seal and oil lubricated stern tubes. As the environmental concerns of oil discharges become more and more restrictive, converting an oil lubricated system to seawater is the only guaranteed solution for today and tomorrow.”