Volume 6 Issue 16

SSY Base Oil Shipping Report

The U.S. Gulf is making some progress after the Intercontinental Terminals Co. fire, but is still not back to normal. Europe is seeing a moderate amount of activity, while Asia is slowly but surely filling the last of the April loaders.-by Adrian Brown

Group II Plant Opens in China

Shandong Weifang Shida Changsheng Energy Technology Co. opened Chinas newest base oil plant recently - an API Group II facility in the city of Weifang with capacity to make 300,000 metric tons per year.

India's Lubricant Exports Grow

Indias lubricant blenders boosted their finished lubricant exports since 2014 by targeting developing markets in regions where lubricant demand is growing, despite heavy competition from existing international and local brands, an industry insider said.

Chinese University Helps Market Biobased Lubes

Lubricants made from renewable resources have been slow to penetrate the Chinese market, but some say demand is starting to sprout. The castor oil engineering research center at Nankai University in Tianjin is trying to carve some space for itself by partnering with blenders to sell lubes made from plant-derived esters, mostly from castor beans.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Briefly Noted

ExxonMobil Asia Pacific selected automotive retail specialist MotorActive as its authorized lubricants distributor in Australia.