Lubricant consumption in Turkey increased 14% in 2021 as the country’s economy rebounded from early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recently published report by a national oil association.
The country consumed 551,000 metric tons of finished lubricants in 2021, up from 484,000 tons in 2020, Petder, the Turkish oil industry association, said in its latest sector report published in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The report draws data from voluntary participation of several Turkish and western companies operating in the country and other institutions. These include Akpet-Lukoil, Castrol, Güzel Enerji, Opet Fuchs, Petrol Ofisi, Shell and Total Energies, some Turkish marketing companies, the state statistics and the Ministry of Environment.
The automotive segment accounted for 276,000 of those tons, or 50%, compared to 242,000 tons. Industrial lubricant demand was 228,000 tons in 2021, up from 199,000 tons in the previous year. The country also consumed 25,000 tons of marine oils in 2021, compared to 22,000 tons in 2020, while grease demand rose from 21,000 tons to 23,000 tons.
In the automotive segment, motor oil consumption increased 14% to 233,000 tons in 2021, while demand for transmission fluids rose 11% to 42,000 tons. Petder’s report also said that 59% of motor oils were for heavy-duty vehicles, 39% were for passenger cars and 2% were for motorcycles.
The country imported 512,000 tons of base oils in 2021, an increase of 5%, while finished lube imports rose 4% to 105,000 tons and imported additives and specialties rose 13% to 106,000 tons.
Base oil exports jumped 623% to 47,000 tons. The country also exported 6% greater volumes of finished lubricants – 188,000 tons – while additive and specialty exports increased 22% to 11,000 tons.
“These numbers show a supply-demand imbalance, and it is because large volumes of mineral oil were supplied to the market as fuels, exceeding the amount of oils actually consumed in Turkey,” Petder noted in the report.