Mark Townsend

MarkTownsend@lng.com

Recent Articles

Middle East Airlines Mothball Planes

Middle East Airlines Mothball Planes

Fears that the market for aviation lubricants and greases in the Middle East is unravelling as a result of the Covid-19 …

Recession Catches Middle East Refiners

Recession Catches Middle East Refiners

Global base oil markets are under intense pressure as the threat of a worldwide recession sinks demand for lubricants am …

Enoc, Proserv Move Ahead in Egypt

Enoc, Proserv Move Ahead in Egypt

Emirates National Oil Co. and Proserv Group will ramp-up lubricants blending in the growing Egyptian market after signin …

Coronavirus Impacts Asia Base Oil Refiners

Coronavirus Impacts Asia Base Oil Refiners

Base oil refiners in Asia are slashing production and looking for alternative markets amid plummeting lubricant and grea …

Coronavirus Upends Base Oil Demand

Coronavirus Upends Base Oil Demand

Base oil refiners in the Middle East face a slowdown in business from China, following the outbreak of the deadly corona …

Iran Gets Creative with Base Oil Exports

Iran Gets Creative with Base Oil Exports

United States sanctions have forced Iranian refiners to find alternative export channels for their API Group I base oil …

Middle East Supply Glut Weighs on Base Oils

Middle East Supply Glut Weighs on Base Oils

A dramatic increase in base oil availability from the Middle East is fueling a supply glut that could exceed 3 million m …

Middle East Rerefining Ripe for Growth

Middle East Rerefining Ripe for Growth

The Middle East may be finally kicking its monograde engine oil dependence, but dealing with the disposal of low-grade u …

Marketing Matters

Marketing Matters

Mark Townsend has encouraging words for potential Middle East driveline fluid marketers.

Middle East Trade Goes on Amid Tensions

Middle East Trade Goes on Amid Tensions

Renewed fears arose of disruption to base oil supplies from the Middle East, following the United States killing on Jan. …

Middle East Gears Up for Higher-quality Lubes

Middle East Gears Up for Higher-quality Lubes

The Gulfs immense oil wealth is a rich market for dealers of high-end cars requiring high-end engine oils. This trickle …

Synthetics Could Combat Improper Oil Disposal

Synthetics Could Combat Improper Oil Disposal

Wider use of synthetic engine oils and a shift to electric vehicles could reduce the threat of environmental contaminati …

Engine Oil Demand Slows in GCC

Engine Oil Demand Slows in GCC

Motor oil demand volume in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council is projected to grow by around 20 percent out to 2023 …

Iranian Exports Redirect to Iraq

Iranian Exports Redirect to Iraq

Iraq has emerged as Irans main export market for base oils as the weight of United States sanctions shut down the Islami …

Shell Trading Distributes Bapco Base Oils

Shell Trading Distributes Bapco Base Oils

Bahrain Petroleum Co. has signed an agreement appointing Shell Trading and Shipping Co. exclusive distributor in Europe …

Lube Makers Pin Hopes on Middle East Aviation

Lube Makers Pin Hopes on Middle East Aviation

The Middle East has become a hub for a handful of world-class airlines, which need high-performance, competitively price …

Everyone’s Business

Everyone’s Business

Mark Townsend files another dispatch from the turbulent Gulf.

Everyone’s Business

Everyone’s Business

Mark Townsend gets on his bike and talks about two-wheeler lubes.