China’s leading marine lubricant suppliers are embracing onboard oil testing technology as they enhance product quality, strengthen customer trust, and align with global efficiency and sustainability standards.

The adoption of portable lube-oil analysers represents a decisive shift in how the country’s oil majors including Sinopec, PetroChina, and CNOOC, look to service and support ships calling at Chinese ports.

According to Germany’s CM Technologies GmbH (CMT), whose onboard test kits are already standard tool kits for European fleets, China’s lubricant producers are now integrating condition-based monitoring tools into their supply programmes.

“The goal is to give ship operators immediate visibility into bunker quality and lubricant condition, contamination, and performance, while demonstrating confidence in the quality of its products,” said CMT joint-Managing Director Uwe Krüger.

“We are seeing a real transformation in China’s fuels and lubricants market,” he said. “These companies are not only producing quality lubricants, but they’re also investing in technology that allows their customers to verify that quality. This level of transparency builds confidence and helps position Chinese oil majors on an equal footing with more established international brands.”

CMT’s range of onboard test kits enables rapid testing of viscosity, density, base-number, water-in-oil, soot, and iron content. Compact and portable each kit delivers results in minutes, allowing crews to make informed decisions without waiting for laboratory analysis. The company’s Cylinder Drain Oil (CDO) Test Kit, for instance, provides additional data on feed-rate efficiency and engine wear, helping operators optimise consumption and extend lubricant life.

For Chinese oil majors, onboard testing allows them to offer a value-added service, supporting customers with practical tools that reduce downtime and operating costs.

“Supplying a test kit along with the lubricant changes the conversation,” Krüger explained. “It shows faith in your product and gives the shipowner a way to manage it scientifically. Instead of selling oil as a consumable, you’re providing a complete reliability solution.”

The move also supports China’s wider environmental and efficiency targets. By basing oil changes on actual engine condition rather than fixed intervals, ship operators can lower lubricant consumption and reduce waste, contributing to wider carbon reduction goals.

“Every litre of oil saved through data-driven maintenance represents a cost saving and an environmental gain,” Krüger said. “That’s an increasingly important message for our industry.”

To meet demand for its test kits, CMT’s Singapore-based agent Junma Services has extended its reach to China and Hong Kong, and is now providing technical training and support to domestic oil suppliers and ship managers alike.

“With the Chinese marine lubricant market projected to expand by about 40% this decade and competition intensifying across Asia’s major ports, oil condition monitoring is emerging as an important tool to help improve engine reliability, energy efficiency and emissions abatement,” said Junma Services Managing Director Yulin Ma.

Acording to research, China’s marine lubricant market generated revenues of about US$58 million in 2022 and is expected to top $80 million by 2030. The growth reflects a surge in shipping, dredging and offshore activity driven by China’s continued investment in port infrastructure, coastal logistics, and shipbuilding capacity.

Reports have also indicated China’s strategic ambition to extend its fuel and lubricant supply chains, resulting in fierce competition among suppliers as domestic firms compete head-to-head with international players.

“Demand for training has risen sharply as Chinese suppliers scale up production and seek to provide integrated maintenance services similar to those offered by suppliers in the West,” said Krüger.

“As Chinese shipowners modernise their fleets and regulations tighten around emissions and efficiency, real-time oil analysis and condition monitoring will become integral to vessel operations and lube oil supply.”

Junma and CMT will be exhibiting a full range of condition-based monitoring products, analysers and test kits at the Junma Services booth in Hall N2, Stand N2C4A-07 of the Marintec trade fair, which takes place in Shanghai, China from 2-5 December.