---

OW Bunker, one of the world's leading suppliers and traders of marine fuel, today announced the launch of a new global marine lubricants division.

The company says it will work in cooperation with leading brands in order to provide a full range of lubricant grades to customers, and will look to target further sales to specific target prospects on a worldwide basis.

The marine lubricants division will be headquartered in Piraeus, Greece, and lead by Stathis Grafakos [pictured], who has years of experience in the lubricants business. Further offices will be rolled out on a global basis over the coming months, OW Bunker said.

OW Bunker will provide a full range of quality marine lubricant grades in cooperation with leading lubricants brands, including products for main engines as well as synthetic products for special on board applications.

"The company will provide a full range of quality marine lubricant grades in cooperation with leading brands in marine lubricants, including products for main engines as well as synthetic products for special on board applications. OW Bunker will use its technical expertise to provide customers with a complete lubricants solution, focusing on reducing the total cost of lubricant spend, and focusing on providing customers with the right quantity and quality of product to ensure that unscheduled downtime is minimised," OW Bunker said.

The company will also provide an advanced after sales support service, mainly through its oil analysis programme, a tool that aims to simplify the lubrication monitoring process, while producing results that help guide maintenance professionals to make the best decisions for their operations.

Commenting on the new division, Stathis Grafakos said: "With our unparalleled expertise and knowledge of the fuel market, we have the capability to provide customers with specific lubricants solutions in line with their trading patterns and the type of fuel that they are using."

"Fuel oil is changing rapidly in line with new regulations, creating new pressures and stress for engines, which demands additional protection from new and advanced lubricants. Our partnerships enables us to provide customers with the latest high performance products that can help reduce operational costs and optimise the performance of their fleets."

Soren Christian Meyer, Global Sales Director, OW Bunker commented: "The launch of our lubricants division is a natural step for us as we continue to look at every avenue where we can add further value to our customers' operations. Our continual focus is on helping them to reduce costs, and increase both efficiencies and profitability within their operations. We understand the challenges that they face, and combining our knowledge of the fuel market to include the provision of lubricants solutions will enable us to have an even greater impact in achieving this."