Volume 5 Issue 28

SSY Base Oil Shipping Report

All routes out of the United States are extremely slow right now. Asia is still slow, but a little more demand has been detected recently. Domestic European trades are moving along nicely, but the long-haul routes are floundering.-by Adrian Brown

Idemitsu and Showa Shell Merger Back On

The proposed merger of Japanese refiners Idemitsu Kosan and Showa Shell Sekiyu KK is back on again - scheduled this time for April 1, 2019, the companies announced Tuesday. The long-delayed deal would create Japans second-largest lubricant supplier.

China 6 Standards Change Vehicle Landscape

The introduction of the China 6 emission standard in 2020 is expected to push lubricant formulations to cater to a diverse range of engines, industry experts said at a conference in Singapore recently.

Gulf India Profits Balloon

Profits at Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd. have more than doubled in the past three years, thanks in part to the development of a broad, multi-tiered sales network, officials said in an investors presentation last month.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Briefly Noted

Lubes manufacturer MJL Bangladesh Ltd. said in a stock exchange filing it approved purchase of 1.47 acres of land in Bangladesh at South Patenga, Chattogram – adjacent to an existing warehouse – for 1700 lakh Bangladeshi taka (Tk17 million or U.S. $202,000) for its future expansion. BASF is investigating establishment of an integrated Verbund chemical production site in the South Chinese province of Guangdong, with potential investment of up to $10 billion until around 2030, and startup of first plants in 2026 at the latest. According to a company presentation, the sites preliminary intended scope would include products such as polyols, amines, intermediates and surfactants, and a pre-feasibility study is the next step.