The European Commission plans again next year to narrow an import duty exemption for API Group II base oils from nations that do not have free trade agreements with the European Union. The commission intends to reduce its quota on Group II imports for the first half of 2022 from the current level of 150,000 metric tons per six months, a spokesperson told Lube Report last week, but it has yet to settle on a new number.

Russian base oil export loadings by rail and river dropped 12% in July, compared to June, caused by falling demand in export destinations and higher prices for domestic finished products, according to a market observer. Base oil exports from the country fell to their lowest level since September 2020, said Denis Varaksin, senior manager at Berlin-based trader DYM Resources. July exports were 78,130 metric tons.

SKF announced Sept. 1 that it completed the acquisition of Efolex AB, a manufacturer of Europafilter-branded industrial lubrication and oil filtration systems. Efolex, which is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has 10 employees, offers offline filtration systems used in process manufacturing and energy industries.