Volume 11 Issue 19

China Drives Base Oil Demand

MOSCOW – Base oil demand east of the Suez is expected to overtake demand in countries west of the Suez by 2015, according to Purvin & Gertz, driven primarily by Chinas economic rise and steady vehicle fleet growth. Speaking at the Base Oils and Lubricants in Russia and the CIS conference here April 7, John Leavens of Purvin & Gertz consultancy said the steady decline of North America and European base oil demand, which started earlier this past decade, is set to continue. The re...

Slavneft to Add Group III

Slavneft will upgrade its base oil plant in Yaroslavl, Russia, to produce 100,000 metric tons per year of API Group III oils by early 2014. Based in Moscow, Slavneft is a 50-50 joint venture between Russian oil companies TNK-BP and Gazpromneft. The Yaroslavl refinery includes Slavnefts only base oil plant, which currently has capacity to make 250,000 t/y of Group I oils. The partners of the joint venture agreed on the upgrade late last year, TNK-BP officials said last week in response to quest...

Total Boosts Bright Stocks

PARIS – Total promises to supply Europe with new volumes of bright stock and heavy grades of base oils in 2012 to 2013 from its 540,000 ton per year Gonfreville plant. Totals Aidine Bagherzadeh gave the European Lubricating Grease Institutes annual general meeting here last week an overview of base oil trends, and said that development of bright stocks and heavy neutrals production is part of our long-term strategy. The refiner will increase its production of bright stocks and heavy neut...

Q1 Healthy for Calumet, Fuchs

Calumet Specialty Products Partners first quarter income rebounded, compared to the year earlier quarter. Independent lubricant blender Fuchs also saw an improvement in profits compared to 2010s first quarter. For the quarter ending March 31, Calumet Specialty Products Partners posted net income of $4.2 million, compared to a $13.1 million loss in the year earlier period. First quarter sales for Indianapolis-based Calumet totaled $605.2 million, up nearly 25 percent from $484.6 million in 201...

EU Duty on Chinas Furfural Extended

The European Council on May 4 renewed an anti-dumping duty on furfuraldehyde from China, to prevent cheaper imports of the solvent, used in base oil production, from swamping the EU market. The council renewed the duty at 352 (U.S. $505) per metric ton. Noting that the duty was established on the basis of 1995 findings and never updated, the European Commission said it will review the number. The renewed regulation is to go into effect after publication in the EU Official Journal. The European...