Mark Townsend

MarkTownsend@lng.com

Recent Articles

Macroeconomic Factors Shape Middle East Markets

Macroeconomic Factors Shape Middle East Markets

The main preoccupation in Middle East base oil markets often centers around price, but other macroeconomic factors are j …

Crude Oil Pain is Base Oils Gain

Crude Oil Pain is Base Oils Gain

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Despite uncertainty over crude oil prices, there are grounds for optimism in the base oils …

Rerefined Oils Gain Traction in the Middle East

Rerefined Oils Gain Traction in the Middle East

After years in the doldrums, the rerefined base oils market is garnering an increasingly sizeable market share in the Mi …

Marketing Matters

Marketing Matters

Mark Townsend reviews the changing role of naphthenics.

Adnoc Cooks up a New Recipe

Adnoc Cooks up a New Recipe

An old adages states, “If you want to make an omelet, you need to break some eggs.” Thats an apt description of a new ap …

Total Ups Middle East Ante

Total Ups Middle East Ante

The French oil giant has been steadily building a lubricants business in the region, through a combination of blending a …

Small U.A.E. Blender Has Big Ambitions

Small U.A.E. Blender Has Big Ambitions

The United Arab Emirates is perhaps the Middle Easts most vibrant lubricant market and has carved out a niche as a major …

Refiners Eye Gold Rush to Iran

Refiners Eye Gold Rush to Iran

With an historic accord on the anvil, Iran is eager to re-engage with global markets — and outsiders could be welcomed …

Improving Base Stock Yields & Cutting Costs

Improving Base Stock Yields & Cutting Costs

Choosing the right technology and deciding what base stock to produce has become a complicated process with significant …

Elco Keen on Grease

Elco Keen on Grease

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Emirates Lube Oil Co (Elco) confirmed to Lube Report it commenced operations at a new grea …

Plotting the Future in the Middle East

Plotting the Future in the Middle East

Demand for higher viscosity index oils has risen exponentially in recent years, which spurred a rush to upgrade hydrocra …

Middle East Moving to Better Base Stocks

Middle East Moving to Better Base Stocks

The Middle East remains a stubbornly Group I market at a time when global standards for finished lubricants are rising. …

Last Word

Last Word

Mark Townsend reviews the outlook for the Middle East base oil market.

Middle East Faces Group II/III Shift Choice

Middle East Faces Group II/III Shift Choice

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – With API Group II and III base oil supply growing in the Persian Gulf area, the question r …

Inferior Lubes Plague the Middle East

Inferior Lubes Plague the Middle East

Much of the recent discussion about the Middle East has focused on its emergence as an important base oil hub. In stark …

Middle East Group III Capacity Alters Global Dynamics

Middle East Group III Capacity Alters Global Dynamics

Growing API Group III production in the Middle East is rebalancing global supply and demand. It will support growth not …

Decoding the Burgeoning Grease Market

Decoding the Burgeoning Grease Market

The grease market is grappling with two opposing trends. Demand is increasing because of industrial and vehicle growth i …

Pakistans Lube Market Presents a Major Opportunity

Pakistans Lube Market Presents a Major Opportunity

The lubricant market in Pakistan is often overlooked, but closer examination shows it to be sizeable and potentially luc …