Volume 10 Issue 44

Chevron Embraces Havoline Brand

Starting in mid-2011, Chevron will consolidate its Texaco Havoline lubricant product line in North America under the Chevron brand. It will not impact Chevrons retail fuels business, and both Chevron and Texaco retail fuel stations will offer Chevron-branded Havoline lubricants. The Texaco Havoline Xpress Lubes network in North America will also be converted to Chevron Havoline Xpress Lubes through 2011. Revised signage includes the Chevron logo. In 2008, Chevron transitioned from its dual-b...

Is SAE 5W-5 in Our Future?

SAN DIEGO – Is it time to rethink engine oil viscosity to allow multigrades even lighter than today’s SAE 0W-20 oils? Is there a technical need for such exotic blends as SAE 5W-10 or 5W-5, or even 0W-0? That’s the puzzle facing a task force which met here last week during the SAE Powertrain, Fuels & Lubricants meeting. The SAE J300 Engine Oil Viscosity Task Force has been considering the addition of some lower-viscosity, non-winter grades, which automakers want to help ad...

Warren Socked $650,000 for Mix-ups

Warren Unilube will pay $650,000 to settle an unfair business practices case that accused the company of selling mislabeled motor oil, gear oil and other products in California. The Oct. 27 civil settlement requires Warren to institute a testing program to ensure the quality and labeling of its products comply with California laws. The Orange County, Calif., district attorney, with assistance from the California Division of Measurement Standards, had filed a civil lawsuit to ban Warren Unilub...

3Q Brings Mixed Results

Lubrizols additives segment and NewMarkets Afton Chemical additives subsidiary each reported increases in sales but declines in operating profit for the third quarter, compared to the year-ago quarter. Meanwhile, South Korean base oil refiner S-Oils lubricants division posted surges in third quarter operating income and revenue, compared to the same quarter in 2009. Lubrizol The additives segment of Lubrizol tallied operating income of $247.9 million in the quarter ending Sept. 30, down 3.4 pe...

Feds OK 2 More Biolubes

The U.S. Department of Agricultures BioPreferred program recently finalized its sixth round of procurement regulations, adding multipurpose lubricants and turbine drip oils to its list of bio-based products eligible for federal procurement. Multipurpose lubricants must have a minimum of 88 percent bio-based content to be eligible. The program defines them as products designed to provide lubrication under a variety of conditions and in a variety of industrial settings to prevent friction or rust...

SSY Base Oil Shipping Report

The U.S. Gulf is not quite as busy as in the previous week, but there is still a lot of demand for space, especially into Asia. Europe remains horribly quiet, while Asian markets are generally unchanged. U.S. Gulf of Mexico There are plenty of enquiries on the U.S. Gulf-to-Asia trade lane. November space has just about all gone, unless any owners wish to reroute a ship from another service. This would be an expensive option for any charterer as the rate for 5,000 ton cargoes from Houston to mai...