There is some activity out of the United States, but some of the European and Asian routes have been really quiet this week. U.S. Gulf Charterers to the Far East continue to play cat and mouse with owners, with many freight enquiries not materializing, while some are just attempts to see how low the numbers can go. As such, there are still several ships that have prompt space and several more that are due on berth in late August. Several very large cargoes of ethylene dichloride have been covere...

Fuchs Petrolub plans to build a new grease plant in Johannesburg, South Africa, that will serve as the companys hub for grease manufacturing for the rest of Africa, a company official said. Fuchs has identified South Africa as a hub for the manufacture of grease from which it will be distributed throughout Africa and is investing in the building of a new state of the art grease plant in South Africa, Paul Deppe, managing director of Fuchs Lubricants South Africa, said in an interview. The plant ...

Vertex Energy said yesterday that it will serve as marketer in the United States of API Group III base oils from Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.s new plant in the United Arab Emirates. Vertex is agent for Netherlands-based Penthol C.V., which is Adnocs distributor, and will export the oils to the U.S. According to Vertexs announcement, the first cargo of 75,000 barrels of base oil arrived in Braithwaite, Louisiana, at the end of July. Vertex said it has taken on responsibilities – in cooperatio...

All eyes are on Dec. 1, the day officially approved for launching products meeting the new API CK-4 and FA-4 heavy-duty diesel oil categories. And with barely four months to go, Shell executives have revealed how they are cranking up the Rotella marketing machine to advance upon that first-licensing date. Speaking in mid-June to a gathering of trade journalists in Washington, D.C., Chris Guerrero, global brand manager for Rotella and Rimula heavy-duty oils, boasted that Rotella has been the numb...

Brazilian conglomerate Ultrapar announced its Ipiranga subsidiary will enter a joint venture agreement with Chevron Brasil Lubrificantes as a way for both companies to further expand their reach in the Brazilian lubes market. The companies will produce and distribute lubricants, greases, additives and coolants as part of the venture. Ipiranga and Chevron will own 56 percent and 44 percent, respectively, of the joint ventures capital, according to a press release from Ultrapar. The deal will be s...

Ukraine’s state railway Ukrzaliznytsia resumed its normal lubricant supply after a court reviewed the state monopolys appeal of a previous court decision and ruled in its favor. The ruling went into effect July 27. On May 23, Kievs business court decided in favor of Miroil, a lube supply tender bidder that objected to Ukrzaliznytsias decision to grant its supply agreement to another bidder, Trade Commodity. The railway company appealed that ruling, saying that it halted the lubricants supp...

Calumet Specialty Product Partners reported a net loss, and Clean Harbors made less money from rerefined and blended products in the second quarter, compared to the year-earlier period. Calumet Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP reported a $147.9 million net loss for the quarter ending June 30, compared to $2.5 million net income a year earlier. A key item impacting the net loss was $147.3 million of non-cash charges due mainly to the partnerships divestiture in June of its 50 percent joint ...