Shell FuelSave Diesel Provides a New Energy Solution for Hong Kong Fishing Industry

Shell Hong Kong Limited (“Shell”) is a trusted energy partner dedicated to helping businesses across different industries maximise outputs while reducing operating costs and environmental impact, under the ongoing energy transition. Today, Shell announces the results of an important study demonstrating the benefits of Shell FuelSave Diesel for the fishing industry in Hong Kong.

Challenges for Hong Kong Fishing Industry

Hong Kong always has a high demand for seafood, but the city’s fishing industry is facing a number of challenges. In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in recurrent expenditures like labour costs, tools and boat maintenance, while fuel expenses often accounts for as much as 60 percent of total operating costs. On the other hand, fishing boat operators are working hard to respond to stricter environmental regulations, including the elimination of black smoke emissions.

All in all, this creates a tough operating environment for local fishing operators, whose livelihood depends on the industry. New solutions are needed to support them.

A New Application for Shell FuelSave Diesel

Shell FuelSave Diesel is formulated with the latest, duel detergent DYNAFLEX Technology³, which is designed to help provide better fuel economy⁴. It capitalises on Shell’s most advanced cleaning formula to help remove injector deposits, prevent further build up and promote more efficient combustion. Designed for efficiency, Shell FuelSave Diesel helps to keep engines clean and protected thanks to Shell scientists’ dedicated pursuit of this vision.

With Shell FuelSave Diesel delivering cost-saving and environmental benefits to drivers on the road for years⁴, it is time to explore a new application for it: fishing boats.

Trialling Shell FuelSave Diesel in Fishing Boats

To explore the potential benefits of Shell FuelSave Diesel in fishing boats, Shell conducted a nine-month trial in collaboration with Yee Lee, Shell Branded Reseller of marine fuels, and Mr Wan-hing Wong, who owns over 20 fishing boats in Hong Kong and has been working in the fishing industry for over 60 years.

Because fuel consumption is affected by a variety of factors – including boat speed, fish catch and wind direction – the trial was conducted on a single fishing boat which operated two engines at the same time. One engine ran on Shell FuelSave Diesel and Shell Rimula R6 LM lubricant, while the other used regular diesel and regular lubricant for comparison.

Each engine was connected to a flowmeter to measure fuel consumption, with an automated recording system to ensure accurate and objective data collection – eliminating human error from the trial. Alongside this data collection and analysis, microscopic inspection on injectors and boroscopic inspection on engines were performed to further evaluate fuel performance.

The Results: Environmental Benefits and Lower Total Cost of Ownership

After nine months, the trial demonstrated that Shell FuelSave Diesel has proven benefits for fishing boats: boosting fuel efficiency, alleviating maintenance needs, reducing CO₂ emissions and lowering total operational costs².

Specifically, Shell FuelSave Diesel used together with Shell Rimula R6 LM lubricant was found to produce:

• Up to 4.7% fuel economy¹
• Injector carbon deposit clean-up, thanks to Shell FuelSave’s active cleaning properties – reducing breakdowns and maintenance
• More torque
• Less black smoke⁵ through more efficient combustion
• Lower carbon footprint through better fuel economy⁴

Mr. Wan-hing Wong, the fishing boat owner who offered his boat for the performance trial, said: “We’ve faced various operational challenges in recent years, but rising fuel expense is the most significant one. At the start of this trial I didn’t have high expectations, as the boat is 19 years old, so I was surprised to see such a big benefit. Shell FuelSave Diesel helped reduce the overall fuel consumption of my boat and cleaned up the injectors significantly, saving me time and maintenance costs. I could feel that the engine ran smoother and with more power. I’ve seen many ups and downs for the fishing industry; it’s a challenging time now, so we need to continually seek improvements and find the right partners, like Shell and Yee Lee.”

Dick Chan, General Manager – Commercial (Hong Kong & Macau) of Shell Hong Kong Limited, said: “Shell is a dedicated provider of not just fuel, but innovative energy solutions under the energy transition to help businesses across industries. The recent nine-month trial is a powerful example of how Shell FuelSave Diesel and Shell’s professional technical support can create operational efficiency and competitive advantage, while reducing environmental impact. In a changing world where continual transformation is needed to drive sustainability and success, we’re proud to be a trusted partner to provide clean energy solutions that help local businesses and communities at large to deliver more with less and navigate competitively into the future.”

Media enquiries:

Ting Hoo
External Relations Manager
Shell Hong Kong Limited
Tel: 2506-7341

¹ Compared to regular diesel without fuel economy formula and to standard lubricant. Based on demonstration tests with fishing boat equipped with 19 years old engines in Hong Kong.
² As experienced by some customers rather than Shell protocols. Benefits will vary according to type of operation, fishing boats, operating conditions and operating style.
³ DYNAFLEX Technology or DYNAFLEX formulation are our names for our latest generation of advanced formulations for gasoline and diesel fuels. See www.shell.com/commercialfuels for more information.
⁴ Shell FuelSave Diesel is designed to help provide by up to 3% fuel economy, compared to regular diesel without fuel economy formula. Actual savings may vary according to fishing boats, operating conditions and operating style. Internal Shell tests and with customers have shown a range of fuel savings depending on age of fishing boats and type of operations.
⁵ In heavy-duty engines up to and including Euro III.