Volume 10 Issue 3

Mitsubishi Cancels MMA Plant
January 15, 2025Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., part of the Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi, axed plans to open a 350,000-metric-tons-per-year methyl methacrylate plant in the state of Louisiana, United States. Methyl methacrylates, or MMAs, are monomers used to make viscosity modifiers for lubricants, among a host of other applications. The company says the u-turn was driven by existing capacity being able to fulfill demand, cost inflation and failure to secure customers. Estimates put the loss to the compan...

Fuchs Buys Boss Lubricants
January 15, 2025Fuchs Group acquired compatriot company Boss Lubricants GmbH & Co. KG., a family-owned and operated company based in Albstadt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Perstorp Sets Up Dutch Ester Site
January 15, 2025Perstorp will start making a new range of synthetic esters this year from its recently acquired production plant near Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

U.S. Treasury Targets Russian Shadow Fleet
January 15, 2025The United States Treasury has come down harder on Russian energy exports, targeting the so-called “shadow fleet” of Russian crude and product tankers in a raft of new sanctions released this week.

Tupras Unit Back On Stream
January 15, 2025A crude unit damaged by fire in November last year will restart in early February, Turkish refiner Tupras announced on late last week. The 151,000-barrels-per-day unit of the plant was taken offline after a fire in November 2024. Izmir is the only refinery producing API Group I base oil in the country, and one of two companies producing base oil at all; the other being rerefinery Tayras. The refinery has processing capacity of 241,500 barrels per day and mostly produces fuel and produces 400,00...
From the Previous Edition
January 15, 2025EPA Calls Formaldehyde Health Risk
Shell Aims to Buy Raj Petro Specialities
German Lube Deliveries Down Again
Briefly Noted
January 15, 2025Argentina’s national energy company YPF has signed an exclusive distribution deal with Chevron Products Co., a division of Chevron U.S.A. Inc., for Nexbase base oils. Argentina is the third-largest lubricants market in Latin America, and its modernizing car parc has pushed demand for premium lubricants.
The American Petroleum Institute is accepting applications for gasoline engine oils meeting requirements for the incoming next performance specification for North America, ILSAC GF-7. Beginning March 31 marketers may promote products as meeting the spec, which is divided into ILSAC GF-7B for products that meet all requirements including fuel economy test limits and ILSAC GF-7A for those that meet requirements except for fuel economy. The institute’s companion standard API SQ will launch at the same time.
Palmer Holland has entered into an exclusive partnership to distribute HollyFrontier’s lubricants. HollyFrontier chose Palmer Holland to be its first ever lubricant distributor.