Lucas Marine, Harbor Breeze Cruises Partner to Cut Fuel Costs
Photo courtesy of Harbor Breeze Cruises
Lucas Marine is partnering with Harbor Breeze Corporation to help reduce the yacht charter and cruise company's fuel costs, maintenance and environmental impact in Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors.
Harbor Breeze is one of the largest yacht charter and cruise companies operating within the two busiest ports in the United States. Lucas Marine is a division of Lucas Oil Products, Inc. - leader in the development of high performance lubricants and problem solving additives.
Harbor Breeze CEO Dan Salas, has been operating his fleet of marine vessels for more than 20 years. With the fleet based in Rainbow Harbor, Long Beach and operating throughout Long Beach and San Pedro Harbors, he is very concerned with the environmental impact of his boats on the area.
"We have been searching for ways to increase fuel economy in our entire fleet, add speed and reduce maintenance costs," says Salas. "We operate in a sensitive environment with large and small cruise ships hosting charters along the West Coast including Catalina, harbor tours and whale watching, and we invest heavily in improving our performance."
Like many industries today Harbor Breeze Corp. is seeking to reduce its ecological footprint through modernization of its fleet, starting with more efficient engines and new hull designs. It has also tested commercially produced oils and additives seeking even more savings. Harbor Breeze Cruises manages an eight boat fleet ranging from the eldest, more than 30 years old, to its latest acquisition in May 2016, La Espada, a $4.5 Million-dollar vessel designed in New Zealand and built Bellingham, WA, which can accommodate up to 250 people.
Says Salas, "Since January of 2016 we have used Lucas Marine Products exclusively throughout our fleet and our tests have shown that Lucas Oil SAE 15W40 Magnum Diesel oil significantly reduces engine noise, wear and tear in our crankcases and allows for more operating hours before needing to be changed. Also, Lucas Marine Upper Cylinder Fuel Treatment lubricant is giving us a substantial, often as much as 8 percent increase in fuel economy overall, and this is huge."
Tom Fredrickson, COO of Lucas Oil Products, Inc is heading up the marine division's Harbor Breeze program.
"For the past 25 years Lucas Oil has built up a reputation for solving problems including improving fuel mileage and extending oil change intervals for cars, trucks and boats. Our Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer with its blend of premium base oil and proprietary additive package adds film strength between the cylinder wall and piston rings and slows oil consumption in diesel marine engines. Lucas Marine Fuel Treatment is created specifically to restore lost power and performance in high-hour engines. It cleans and lubricates fuel system components, removes valve deposits, lessens oil contamination and stops knocking and hesitation. Decreasing the amount of fuel used and extending the time between oil changes is always good for the environment."
