Volume 14 Issue 2

SSY Base Oil Shipping Report

The United States and Europe have been a little slow to get off the mark, but Asian markets are streaking ahead with numerous requirements already. U.S. Gulf Nothing much really happened on any of the key routes out of the U.S. during the festive season, and freight rates have started the new year where they left off in December. U.S. Gulf-to-Far East is perhaps the most active of the trade lanes with a resurgence of aromatics demand, in particular paraxylene but also mixed xylenes and styrene, ...

Azmol Goes out of Business

Azmol, one of the former Soviet Unions largest lubricant makers, went bankrupt under a recent commercial court rule, according to Voice of Ukraine, the official newspaper of the Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. On Dec. 18 the Zaporozhskaya Oblast commercial court started an insolvency procedure for the Berdyansk-based Azov greases and oils plant (Azmol). The court assigned Sergey Persyuk as a person in charge of the plants property to manage the arbitration process, stated the Ukranian legislator...

Nynas Starts Operating Harburg Plant

Nynas is now operating the base oil plant and associated production units at the former Shell refinery in Harburg, Germany. The takeover of the base oil plant near Hamburg is the first step towards establishing a new site for Nynas with up to 350,000 metric tons per year specialty oils production capacity. It will represent a 40 percent increase in the companys naphthenic specialty oil supply capability, Nynas said in a Jan. 2 news release. Nynas naphthenic specialty oils include base oils, insu...

Building Better Blending Plants

World champion blending plants arent necessarily newer or bigger than the competition. Its better management that makes them more efficient, more productive and more profitable, says Annie Hanafin of Malik Pims. Hanafin, global lubricants benchmarking manager with Malik Pims in London, described how the worlds top 15 world champion lubricant blending plants differ from all the rest at the ICIS Pan-American Base Oils & Lubricants Conference in Jersey City, N.J., last month. Malik Pims benchma...

Orlen Reorganizes Lubes Business

Polish lube marketer Orlen Oil started the liquidation process of its Czech product distribution subsidiary, the company told Lube Report on Tuesday. Beginning Jan. 1, Orlen Oil Cesko, a distributor of the Orlen finished products in the Czech Republic that also covered Hungary and Slovakia, ceased to exist. The distribution changes in Czech Republic and Slovakia are the first step of a broader distribution remodeling, the Polish oil major acknowledged. The sales activities in Czech Republic and ...

Chevron Opens Azeri Lube Store

U.S. oil major Chevron opened its first lubricant store last week in Baku, Azerbaijan, and also plans to open a chain of lube express shops there. Baku-based official Chevron products dealer STS International runs the store – simply named Chevron Lubricants – which offers the company’s gasoline and diesel engine oil brands Havoline, Delo, Supreme and Ursa. STS International is confident of expanding a network of Chevron Lubricants stores in the country, STS General Director Mek...

Briefly Noted

Sharjah National Lube Oilbecame an official distributor of ExxonMobil Group I Core base stocks in the U.A.E. and surrounding countries.Chemturawill increase its PAO prices by up to 15 cents per pound Jan. 15, citing escalating costs for key raw materials. AWorld Fuel Servicessubsidiary acquired U.K. lubes distributorWatson Petroleumfor 117 million British pounds (U.S. $191 million).Flyers Energyacquired Reno, Nev.,-based Shell brand lubes distributorAllied Washoe Petroleum.