Volume 3 Issue 5

Rouen Residents Still Simmer Over Fire

More than four months after fire struck a Lubrizol Corp. additive plant in Rouen, France, flames of distrust are still burning towards the company and government officials, as an investigation into the incident continues, demands go on for more testing and tempers shorten.

Brexit Complicates U.K. Lube Industry

The United Kingdom formally left the European Union on Jan. 31, triggering a transition period until the end of this year. The U.K. lubricant industry expects business as usual until late this year, when the countrys possible divergence from EU regulations could impact the industry.

Midterm Review Unlikely for Group II Quota

It is unlikely that the European Commission will review the new duty-free API Group II base oil import quota that it adopted late last year, according to industry sources. The quota has caused confusion around the industry regarding its enforcement and led to increased costs for companies.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Briefly Noted

Nigerias Department of Petroleum Resources announced on Jan. 31 the launch of its digitization initiative for downstream operations under the Automated Downstream System. Under the program, all applications for licenses and permits – including for lube oil blending plant licenses – have migrated to digital platforms, and the agency no longer accepts manual processing of downstream-related applications.