France’s Total Lubrifiants became official sponsor and industrial partner of Italian electric motorcycle manufacturer Energica under a new international partnership that continues until the end of 2022. Under the partnership, Energica’s electric motorcycles will use Total Lubrifiants’ lubricants, greases and related products.

The Union of the European Lubricants Industry announced that it cancelled its 2020 congress in Athens due to the "unprecedented crisis we are going through and uncertainty about the future." In its place, UEIL will host a one-day virtual networking event in October. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association revised its 2020 forecast for car registrations to 9.6 million units in 2020, down 25 percent from 12.8 million in 2019, due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Swedish court on June 15 approved an extension of Nynas AB’s company reorganization for another three months, until Sept. 15. One of the world’s largest suppliers of naphthenic base stocks, Nynas filed for reorganization in Swedish court on Dec. 13 last year and later filed an extension to the process shortly before it was originally set to end on March 13, which gave it until June 15 to complete the reorganization.

ExxonMobil and Austria-based Innio signed a long-term extension to their global lubricant collaboration agreement for Innio’s natural gas engines. Future plans include release of a new co-branded gas engine oil and other products.

Italy's Eni, which manufactures base oils and lubricants, approved a new business structure, creating two new business groups: Natural Resources and Energy Evolution. The Energy Evolution group will incorporate the activities of power generation from natural gas and renewables, the refining and chemicals businesses, retail natural gas and power, and mobility marketing.

Saint Petersburg, Russia-based Gazprom Neft increased its finished lubricants sales to 90,000 tons in the first quarter ending March 31, a 28.6 percent increase compared to the first quarter of 2019. The company launched six new products and got approval for its Gazprom Ocean–branded marine lubricants by original equipment manufacturer Wartsila-Sulzer.

Belgium-based Azelis will distribute Sweden-based specialty chemicals company Perstorp’s polyols and solutions portfolio, including synthetic lubricants, in parts of Northern Europe.

Rome, Italy-based lubricant blender and base oil producer Eni appointed Claudio Descalzi as CEO and general manager.  Gazpromneft Marine Lubricants expanded its Mediterranean network to 27 ports in Greece, 7 ports in Egypt and 20 ports in Turkey.  Chemical company Oxea changed its corporate name to OQ Chemicals as part of its final integration into OQ, the brand entity of a new energy company formed at the end of 2019 under the leadership of Oman Oil Co. and Orpic Group. Oxea became part of Oman Oil Co. in 2013.

Goldwagen’s retail outlets will now distribute Belgium-based Wolf Lubricants’ products throughout southern Africa, including in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana.

Castrol Lubricants and Central Trading, its national distributor in the United Arab Emirates, announced rigorous hygiene protocols and frequent thorough sterilization of every surface and area of its branded workshops across all of the U.A.E.'s seven emirates. Regular periodic hand sanitization for both mechanics and customers is also strictly enforced to further minimize the chances of contacting or spreading infection, as part of the efforts against covid-19.