U.S. shipping demand is strong, but lack of vessel space continues to stifle new business. Europe experienced another slow week, while Asia remains disappointingly flat. U.S. Gulf There is a huge amount of pent-up enquiry from the Far East that is simply waiting for owners to show a position. Such is the kind of demand out there that a number of traders can simply swallow up an entire ship with a mixture of products should such a vessel materialize. There had been predictions that ethanol and me...

STUTTGART, Germany – Some light-duty automakers and motor oil formulators say the industry may be approaching an unusual bind, with licensing for the ILSAC GF-5 engine oil specification potentially being interrupted before adoption of the next specification, GF-6, Infineum reported at an industry conference here last week. With GF-6 targeted for rollout on April 1, 2018, industry resources in North America are consumed with developing the seven tests that the new specification will include...

The American Petroleum Institute invoked provisional licensing for passenger car engine oil categories ILSAC GF-5 and API SN, SM, SL and SJ, after the industry ran out of parts for a key test. API Senior Manager for Engine Oil Licensing and Certification Kevin Ferrick announced the decision in an April 13 letter. ASTM is seeking a solution that will allow testing labs to resume running of the ASTM D6709 Sequence VIII test. Until they succeed, provisional licensing will allow engine oil suppliers...

Calumet Specialty Products Partners L.P. on Friday said it suspended its quarterly cash distribution, citing volatility in market conditions and saying it was part of a broader effort to maintain an adequate level of liquidity at the partnership. Indianapolis-based Calumet posted a net loss of $116.8 million for the quarter ending Dec. 31, worse than a $63.5 million net loss in the year-earlier period. For the full year 2015, the company had a net loss of $139.4 million, compared to a $112.2 mil...

Russias largest base oil refiner, Lukoil, produced around 860,000 metric tons of base oils in 2015, down 10 percent from 973,000 tons the year before. The production comes from the companys base oil plants in Perm and Volgograd, Russia. Around 40 percent of Lukoils base oil production is actually exported, Elena Fedoseeva, head of the companys base oil sales unit, told Lube Report last week. In general, the base oil export volumes have been decreasing in recent years, but it was somewhat offset ...

Clariant recently started up additional capacity for phosphate esters at its chemicals manufacturing site in Gendorf, Germany. Phosphate esters are commonly used in additives for metalworking fluids and in fire-resistant hydraulic fluids. Clariant didnt disclose the investment cost or the size of the capacity increase. Photo: Clariant Clariant recently announced the start-up of additional capacity for phosphate esters at its chemicals manufacturing site in Gendorf, Germany. The new capacity at...