Klϋber Lubrication, a worldwide manufacturer of specialty lubricants, announces that its Klüberbio EG 2 gear oil for thrusters and Klüberbio RM 2 stern tube oil now carry the European Ecolabel, signifying compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP). The EU Ecolabel is a label of environmental excellence that is awarded to products and services meeting high environmental standards throughout their life-cycle: from raw material extraction, to production, distribution and disposal.

Klüber’s gear oils for thruster and CPP propulsion units and its stern tube oils are approved for use by leading thruster and seal system OEMs and now have independent assurance, from the EU Ecolabel Program, that the products achieve the U.S. EPA’s requirements for classification as an Environmentally Acceptable Lubricant (EAL). Therefore, these high-performance lubricants meet the standards for biodegradability, minimally toxic, and non-bioaccumulating standards set in Appendix A of the U.S. EPA’s VGP.

“Receiving the certification from the EU Ecolabel program for our gear and stern tube lubricants is significant,” says Ben Bryant, marine market manager, Klüber Lubrication North America L.P. “The VGP states that lubricants with this label qualify as an EAL and therefore vessel owner/operator can be absolutely certain that the product meets all of the requirements set in Appendix A of the VGP.”

Klüberbio EG 2 oils have a high scuffing resistance, protecting gear teeth reliably against fretting damage even at high peak loads. Klüberbio EG 2 and Klüberbio RM 2 oils have a longer service life than mineral oils owing to the good stability towards ageing, oxidation and hydrolysis of the synthetic base oil. Consequently, oil changes are required less often.

“Klüberbio EG 2 gear oils and Klüberbio RM 2 stern tube oils have been extensively tested by Klüber and by leading OEMs for compatibility and performance,” says Dirk Fabry, global marketing and application engineer, Klüber Lubrication München SE & Co. KG. “Our gear oils and stern tube oils now join our hydraulic oils as being EU Ecolabel certified, providing a full range of VGP-compliant products.”