U.S. markets are very active, and most routes out of the U.S. Gulf lack any prompt space. European markets have slowed down a notch since Easter. Asian markets generally remain dull, especially deep-sea routes. U.S. Gulf On the route to the Far East, April space was just about all taken care of a week or so ago, so that now, should any space open up, it will be because another cargo – contractual or otherwise – will have been cancelled. The only other prospect is if more ships ballas...

Shell closed the API Group I base oil plant at its refinery in Pernis, Netherlands, in the first quarter this year, a company spokesperson told Lube Report. The Pernis plant had 7,100 barrels per day (370,000 metric tons per year) of Group I capacity, according to LubesnGreases. Pernis is a sub municipality of Rotterdam. Photo: Shell / Flickr The base oil plan at Shell’s refinery in Pernis, Netherlands, had capacity for 7,100 barrels per day of API Group I. In April 2014, Shell confirmed...

Bensalem, Pennsylvania-based Advanced Lubrication Specialties received a loan through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority to acquire a 121,000 square foot building to consolidate its current warehouse. The $2 million loan given to Bucks County, where ALS is headquartered, will help finance a $6.7 million expansion of distribution and warehouse capabilities. The building is located next to the companys blending plant in Bensalem and is currently a general purpose warehouse, Greg Jul...

Axel Americas manufacturing plant in Rosedale, Mississippi is operating at normal capacity after repairing damage that a Feb. 29 fire caused to new process equipment. Deliveries of finished goods were carried out the same week of the fire, and production on the existing equipment resumed within 10 working days, Johan Stureson, managing director for Axel Christiernsson International, told Lube Report. He added that the company also managed to catch up with the delivery backlog caused by the fire,...

Uzbek-Bulgarian joint venture Uz-Prista Recycling started its rerefinery in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in trial mode and scheduled a grand opening for May, Prista told Lube Report last week. The project was originally planned to be completed and streaming base oil by the end of 2014. The plant has capacity to process 43,000 metric tons of used oil annually and to produce 30,000 tons per year of base oil. The rerefinery is able to produce API Group I and Group II base oils using vacuum distillation an...

Transformer oil rerefiner Hydrodec posted a loss and lower revenues for 2015, compared to 2014, and net income for WD-40 was up for the quarter ending Feb. 29, compared to the year-earlier period. Hydrodec Transformer oil rerefiner Hydrodec Group reported a $31.1 million total loss for 2015, compared to an $8.5 million loss for 2014. Revenues totaled $43.8 million for the 2015 fiscal year, down almost 20 percent. In a news release, the company noted 2015 was a challenging year due to the collaps...