A four-alarm fire devastated Niagara Lubricants factory in Buffalo, N.Y., on July 13, but competitors and suppliers are helping the company get back up and running. Were working with some competitors, believe it or not, who are basically letting us move in, so well be taking care of customers almost immediately, Niagara Lubricant Co. Inc. President Leon Smith III told Lube Report. So within a month, we should be taking care of almost every single customer, through the generosity of our competit...

ConocoPhillips announced last week that it will separate its upstream and downstream businesses into two separate, publicly-traded corporations. Refining and marketing, including base oil and lubricants businesses, will be spun off to shareholders. The upstream exploration and production company will keep the ConocoPhillips name. The separation, expected to be completed by mid-2012, will not require a shareholder vote. The base oil and lubricants businesses are important assets for ConocoPhil...

Cal/OSHA cited Evergreen Oil for violations at its Newark, Calif., rerefinery, with proposed fines of $21,840, which the company has appealed. Out of operation since a March 29 fire, Evergreen is addressing the agencys concerns. The rerefinery has 800 barrels per day of API Group II base oil capacity. We are taking measures to prevent fires at the plant in the future, said Robert Gwaltney, Evergreens vice president of refinery operations. The reason for the appeal is to reserve our rights to c...

Metal particles in the engine oil of an Antonov An-24 caused the planes July 11 crash that killed six and injured more than 20 in western Siberia, Russias Interstate Aviation Committee said on Monday. The plane, operated by Angara Airlines and carrying 36 people, ditched into the Ob River in Tomsk oblast on July 11, en route from Tomsk to Surgut. The crew attempted the emergency landing several minutes after reporting a fire in the aircraft’s left engine. A special IAC committee was set...

American Honda Motor Co. will recall 2,232 motorcycles because a suspension issue may lead to a leak in their rear brake fluid reservoir hoses, hindering brake performance. The company last week notified the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration of the safety recall, which applies to several variants of Honda ST1300 model year 2008 to 2010 motorcycles produced during 2008 and 2009. When heavily loaded and ridden over rough surfaces, the rear suspension of the motorcycle can bot...

A fire and subsequent explosion destroyed a furnace for a unit in the base oil plant at Gazprom Nefts Omsk refinery on July 16, according to the Russian emergency ministry. Omsk emergency firefighters arrived at the scene of fire at 7:12 a.m. this past Saturday. Upon arrival at the plant, the fire brigade noted that the oil was burning in the coil pipe inside the furnace. Approximately 10 cubic meters of oil in the coil pipe was set on fire, the ministry press department said. As a result of t...

The market in the U.S. Gulf is patchy. Some routes are more active while others remain in the doldrums. Europe is steady on coastal routes but flat on deep-sea. Asia is busier on domestic trades too, while exports remain robust. U.S. Gulf of Mexico There is still a lot of tonnage either open in the U.S. Gulf in July or on its way into the Gulf for end July and August. Moreover, a number of ships have simply sat idle in the Gulf for the past couple of weeks. In spite of this there are some tra...