Profits for South Korean base oil refiner SK Lubricants skyrocketed more than 500% for the quarter ended June 30, and profits climbed for Indian lubricant makers Castrol India and Apar Industries, compared to the same period in 2020. The results also represented a return to profit levels near that of 2019’s second quarter.

Japan’s lubricant consumption and production were both more than 20% higher in June than in the same period last year, while the totals for each in the first half of this year were also well above results for the same time frame in 2020, according to data released this week by a government agency.

Since January of 2020, Indonesia has required the content of diesel sold within its borders to be 30% biodiesel by weight – the highest such mandate in the world. Representatives from a lubricant marketer said recently that this could compromise performance of engines lubricated with engine oils formulated to specifications that pre-date API CI-4.