It has been a week of mixed results. The U.S. has been very slow, while Europes and Asias deep-sea routes are marginally busier despite quieter coastal markets. U.S. Gulf Over the past week there were glimmers of what could conceivably happen on the markets into Asia, as cargoes of ethanol, styrene, ethylene dichloride, methanol, phenol and acrylonitrile occasionally sought space for November and December. One by one, however, trade stalled – either because availability for products such a...

HollyFrontiers acquisition of Suncor Energys Petro-Canada lubricants business for CA $1.1 billion (U.S. $845 million), announced Monday, will diversify HollyFrontiers base oil portfolio to include API Group II and III base oils and also make it a prominent player in the finished lubricants market. Dallas-based HollyFrontier expects to fund the transaction with a combination of debt and cash on hand. Subject to regulatory approval and closing conditions, the transaction is expected to close in th...

Afton Chemical, SK Lubricants, S-Oil, BPs lubricants business, Quaker Chemical and Milacron each posted increased third quarter profits, compared to the same period of 2015. Net sales were down for Chemturas petroleum additives business for the third quarter, compared to a year earlier. Afton Chemical Afton Chemical, NewMarket Corp.s petroleum additives segment, posted an operating profit of $106.4 million for the three months ending Sept. 30, up 5.8 percent from $100.5 million a year earlier. T...

ExxonMobil announced last week that its new Port Allen, Louisiana, aviation lubricants plant is operating at full capacity as it makes the companys Mobil Jet brand engine lubricants. The aviation lubricants blending, packaging and distribution facility started shipping product worldwide in August after receiving regulatory approvals. The plants lubricant production capacity was not disclosed. Photo: ExxonMobil Containers move through a packaging line at ExxonMobil’s new aviation lubricants pla...

Castrol is entering the biobased lubricants market with the launch of its Edge Bio-Synthetic motor oil, the companys first plant-based renewable product, which will be commercially available in the United States in January. The lube manufacturer yesterday announced its new addition to the Edge product line during the Specialty Equipment Market Associations Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The product is 25 percent sugar cane oil and offers the same level of performance as other Castrol Edge products, ...