A quiet week overall. The U.S. Gulf is generally unchanged, Europe remains hugely overtonnaged and rates are weak, and Asia continues to shine, at least in comparison to the other areas. U.S. Gulf of Mexico There is very little tonnage available in the U.S. Gulf for prompt shipment transatlantic eastbound. Benzene seems to be the most fashionable item to ship this week due to plant issues in Europe and rising prices. Styrene and ethanol are on the menu too. Freights are hovering in the mid $40s...

Subaru will recall 809 model year 2010 and 2011 cars starting Aug. 6 because of a crucial missing lubrication hole within the vehicles six-speed manual transmissions. As a result, certain gears within the transmission could eventually break due to a lack of lubrication, the auto maker stated in its July 19 recall letter to Subaru dealers. This recall will involve modifying the transmission transfer case by opening the oil lubrication passage at the originally intended location. Additionally, af...

Palmer Holland acquired Triad Lubrication Components, which supplies lubricant additives and base stocks. Terms were not disclosed. The appeal is that its complimentary to the products that were currently offering, Patricia Noyes, Palmer Holland operations manager, told Lube Report. It dovetails in with the metalworking component that were already involved with. Founded in May 2005, Triad supplied the southern United States. The four current Triad sales and administrative personnel will contin...

LLK-Naftan, a leading lubricant additives producer in the Commonwealth of Independent States, last week said it is significantly expanding sales inMiddle East and African markets. Novoplotsk, Belarus-based LLK-Naftan, a joint venture betweenLLK-International, Russian oil major LukOils lubricant arm, and Belarusian refiner OAO Naftan, has been producing additives primarily for the Russian market. A smaller part of its production is exported to Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Romania and other count...

Jeannine Schoenecker will become president and chief operating officer of American Refining Group by next March 31, succeeding Harvey Golubock on his retirement, ARGs board of directors announced. In her new position, Schoenecker will report directly to Harry Holloran Jr., chairman and CEO of the company. Schoenecker, currently chief financial officer, has been with Bradford, Pa.-based ARG since 1985. The independent refinery has 2,400 barrels per day of base oil capacity. Golubock will retire...

Ashlands Valvoline division reported higher sales but a drop in operating income for the quarter ending June 30, while SK Lubricants posted increases in operating income and sales, compared to year-earlier results. According to parent company Ashland, Valvoline posted operating income of $73 million for the three months ending June 30 (the third quarter of Ashlands fiscal year), down 30.1 percent from $95 million for the same period in 2009. Valvolines sales for the quarter reached $463 million...

Energy trader Vitol and investment firm Helios are negotiating to acquire equity in Shells downstream businesses in 19 countries in Africa, including lubricants businesses in each of the countries except Egypt. Under the terms of the proposed deal, which would see the Shell brand and products remain in each country, Vitol and Helios would become the majority shareholders in the businesses, with Shell retaining a shareholding, a Shell spokesperson told Lube Report yesterday. Shells fuels, lubric...

Hasco Oil this month purchased Castrol Industrials blending plant in Vernon, Calif., along with its forge lubricant product line. The facility will operate as Pacific Precision Formulators. The plant has annual capacity of 2.5 million gallons, according to Hasco, and provides excellent access to the Southwestern United States, Mexican and Pacific Rim markets. Pacific Precision Formulators has secured manufacturing contracts that will allow it to commence production immediately, Hasco stated. T...

A fire Sunday in the residual desulfurization unit at Formosa Petrochemicals refinery in Mailiao, Taiwan, shut down several downstream operations, including its base oil plant with 10,000 b/d of API Group II capacity. The closing of the base oil plant was reported by ICIS on July 26, citing a company source. The base oil plant began production in September 2009. According to a Taiwan Central News Agency report July 26, the Yunlin County Environmental Protection Bureau ordered related plants at...