Russian base oil exports decreased more than 30% in 2022 as the European Union imposed an embargo on imports of Russian petroleum products over the country’s invasion of Ukraine, an industry event heard recently. Russia exported around 815,000 tons of base oils in 2022, down from around 1.2 million tons exported in 2021, DYM Resources’ Denis Varaksin told the Argus Global Base Oils Conference in London.

Lubricant sales in France declined by 6% in 2022 and by 8% in December, compared to the same month of 2021, according to an industry association’s data, with demand consistently slower year on year in each month after May. Demand in 2022 trailed 2021 for 10 of the year’s 12 months.

Domestic lubricant demand in Germany decreased 5% in 2022 and was down 17% for December, compared to the same periods in 2021, according to data released last week by a German government agency. Motor oil sales increased 1% for the year, while automatic transmission fluid consumption was flat and purchases of automotive gear oils fell 8%.