Volume 8 Issue 21
Thailand to Boost Bio-lubes, Palm Oil
May 21, 2021Thailand’s central government is working to develop its palm oil industry, and the strategy includes promoting demand for bio-lubricants, -greases and -transformer oils, the National Palm Oil Policy Committee announced recently. Especially in Asia, palm oil is one of the most popular sources of oleochemicals, chemicals like fatty acids, fatty alcohols, glycerols and esters used in the production of bio-lubricants as well as other materials.
Profits up for Sri Lankan Lube Suppliers
May 21, 2021Chevron Lubricants Lanka Plc. reported large increases in profit and sales for the quarter ending March 31, compared to the same period last year, and Lanka IOC Plc. reported higher net profit and higher lubricants sales for its fiscal year ending March 31.
Ampol to Continue Lytton Operations
May 21, 2021Ampol announced Monday that it will keep open its Lytton, Australia, refinery – which includes a finished lubricant blending plant – after agreeing to accept government financial support aimed at preventing the nation’s last fuels refineries from closing. The New South Wales, Australia-based company, which formerly operated as Caltex Australia, warned last year that it might close the Lytton refinery, located outside Brisbane, because it was losing money.
From Other Editions of Lube Report
May 21, 2021Total Expands Russian Blend Plant
Briefly Noted
May 21, 2021Phoenix Petroleum Philippines announced that its new subsidiary in Indonesia will distribute motorcycle and passenger car engine oils there for consumer and commercial vehicle segments.
Clarification
May 21, 2021Royal Dutch Shell said this week that it will continue operating the base oil plant at its Pulau Bukom, Singapore, refinery until July 2022 as announced late last year. The base oil plant will close as part of a plan, announced earlier last year, to significantly reduce the crude oil throughput of the overall refinery. As reported in the May 14 issue of Lube Report Asia, Shell recently accelerated the crude throughput reduction from late 2023 to July of this year. Last week a Shell spokesman said he did not know if that would change the timeline for the 386,000 metric tons per year API Group I base oil plant.