Volume 1 Issue 10
SSY Base Oil Shipping Report
March 6, 2018It has been a pretty slow week overall, with all the main trading areas reporting lower cargo volumes. Asia is just restarting after the holidays, but it is unclear why the other regions are inactive.-by Adrian Brown
Base Oil Investments Outstrip Demand
March 6, 2018Lubricant demand has been essentially flat over the past 25 years, yet millions of tons of new annual base oil capacity has come to market since the year 2000. The rate of additions has far out-paced plant closings, creating surpluses that have ramped up competition and put some base oil suppliers in a precarious position, an analyst explained at an industry event in London.
Italmatch Forms Additives Unit
March 6, 2018Italmatch Chemicals Group formed a lubricant additives business unit in the wake of Decembers acquisition of Elco Corp. and parent company Detrex. Italmatch said the new unit, named Lubricant Performance Additives will work to create new additive packages using the combined chemistries of Elco and Italmatch.
Winds of Energy Change in EMEA Regions
March 6, 2018The European Unions energy demand is projected to decline by 11 percent by 2040, Africas energy consumption is expected to jump by 128 percent, and the Middle Easts energy consumption will grow 54 percent, according to the 2018 BP Energy Outlook.
From Other Editions of Lube Report
March 6, 2018Briefly Noted
March 6, 2018Universities seeking funds for high-level research into lubricating greases have until March 15 to apply for NLGIs 2018 Research Grant Program. Awards can range up to $50,000. Details: www.NLGI.org. Sotulub (the Lubricants Company of Tunisia) contracted SGS to handle quality control for its manufacturing operations and to manage the lube analysis laboratory at its factory in Rades, Tunisia. In a press release issued last week, Sotulub said its factory has been ISO certified for years but that it contracted the Swiss company in the interest of continuous quality improvement. Gazpromneft-Lubricants agreed to supply marine lubricants to the Arctic transport and icebreaker vessels of Norilsk Nickel, a mining and metals company based in Norilsk, Russia.