Volume 4 Issue 6

Colonial Breaks Ground in Saudi Arabia

A joint venture of United States-based Colonial Chemical Inc. announced on Jan. 20 that it broke ground on a specialty chemicals factory that will be built in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Colonial said it undertook the project with an eye for the country’s oilfield chemicals market but that it will also produce materials for lubricants and other applications.

Ukraine Faces Base Oil Shortage

Ukraine is bracing for limited availability of key base oil products through this summer as plants in Russia and Belarus start regular maintenance cycles and base oil demand increases in Russia, according to an oil association in Kiev.

Pandemic, Finances Burden Hydrodec

United Kingdom-based transformer oil rerefiner Hydrodec Group Plc continues working on a refinancing package for its plant in the United States, but it cautioned recently that a delay in an audit of its financial performance could get the company delisted from AIM, the London Stock Exchange’s market for small and medium growth companies.

From Other Editions of Lube Report

Lub-rref Wrapping Up IPO

Profits Fall for Castrol India

Ineos Declares Force Majeure for PAOs

Briefly Noted

Essen, Germany-based chemicals distributor Brenntag completed the process on Feb. 1 of changing from a German stock corporation to a European company and is now doing business as Brenntag SE. The company – which distributes lubricants and lubricant additives, among other products – said the change of form underlines its global orientation and identity as an international concern.

Correction

An article in the Feb. 2 issue, “Lukoil Streams Group II in Volgograd,” initially misstated the cost of upgrading the plant and did not list the size of the project. The company spent 10 billion rubles (U.S. $132 million) and will give the plant capacity to make 220,000 metric tons per year of API Group II oils.