The report also contains amended tariffs that have left many in the industry scratching their heads.

The TRA’s recommended tariff for lubricants coming from Lithuania rocketed to 84.72% from 11.6% in its initial recommendations. Meanwhile, the tariff on certain imported lubricants from the UAE has increased to 34.35% from 24.95%.

“I was shocked [by] the Lithuanian tariff,” Erik Sudheimer, a representative of SCT Chemical FZE, the Dubai-based exporter of Mannol products to the United Kingdom, told Lube Report. “This is absolutely insane.”

Imports from Lithuania reached a peak of 4,513 metric tons in 2024 but have fallen steeply this year.

The investigation into product dumping began in 2024 when Mark Lord, the director of Aztec Oils, approached the TRA with his concerns that Lubriage, the exclusive distributor of Mannol products into the U.K. and Ireland, appeared to be selling goods at prices that were substantially below market value.

The senior leadership of Lubriage has since been dismissed, and the company’s main shareholder, Sudheimer, regained control of operations.

“While we applaud the in-depth analysis of the TRA and their findings and confirmation that there is product dumping of engine oils and hydraulic fluids in the U.K., we are concerned that they have left the backdoor wide open!” said Lord. “The really odd decision is to give one UAE producer a zero tariff!”

That producer is Atlantic, which had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.

“I don’t understand the rationale for a zero ad valorem tariff for one producer over others in the region,” David Wright, director general for the United Kingdom Lubricants Association, told Lube Report. “The TRA view is that it is based on their pricing in the UAE compared with that of the U.K.”

Unlike Atlantic, another producer in the UAE, Oscar, is now subject to tariffs of 34.55% despite not allegedly dumping.

“The fight for a level playing field goes on,” Lord said.