Tim Sullivan

Base oil production in China has largely returned to normal levels, but demand in other parts of the world is still down significantly because of the Covid-19 pandemic and may not recover much until late in the year, according to industry insiders and an analyst speaking at a webinar Wednesday.

The economic crises created by the Covid-19 pandemic will probably trigger an overdue consolidation of global base oil capacity, an official from Solomon Associates said during a webinar last week.

Officials in Venezuela’s embattled government have drafted a plan to restructure the country’s sacred national oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., proposing among other things to create a Russian subsidiary that would absorb at least a stake in Nynas AB.

Shipments of castor oil derivatives are flowing from India once again, easing availability of popular grease additives after supplies were constrained last month by a lockdown meant to combat Covid-19.

The Chinese government announced on Wednesday a six-month postponement to nationwide implementation of its China VI emissions standard for light-duty vehicles, which had been scheduled to take effect July 1.

Several major and independent lubricant marketers have reduced prices on finished products in the United States in recent weeks. Industry insiders said the move was predictable given recent reduction in base stock prices and complicated in some cases by measures taken to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hin Leong Trading, the giant oil trader at the center of one of Asia’s biggest current business scandals, is also a lubricants supplier with a plant in Singapore and a grease and a lubricant plant in China.

The American Chemistry Council on Monday invoked an emergency protocol meant to give companies flexibility to cope with unavailability of automotive lubricant additives resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The European Commission is once again considering a proposal to bring lubricants into its Excise Movement and Control System, and the Union of the European Lubricants Industry is once again working to block the bid.