The U.S. market is coping better with the mayhem caused by falling feedstock and commodity prices than other areas such as Europe and Asia. Asia in particular has experienced a very slow week, but this may also be partly due to holidays in the region.-by Adrian Brown

A new ASTM International guide developed to help the marine industry determine whether a lubricant is environmentally acceptable will begin the first round of balloting next month, according to industry officials.

Calumet Specialty Products Partners L.P. sold its year-old investment in Biosynthetic Technologies in March, according to Calumets first quarter earnings report. Biosynthetic Technologies is a startup that converts plant oils into synthetic base stocks using proprietary technology.

Seventy-two percent of vessels are projected to use very-low-sulfur fuel oil after the International Maritime Organizations IMO 2020 regulation goes into effect next year, a marine lubricant supplier said recently, and the shipping industrys shortage of experience using such fuels increases the level of uncertainty about implications for marine lubricants.