Another slow week all around, but at least Europe and the Americas have been somewhat busier than the previous weeks. Asia, however, has stalled a little and there are still a small number of end of July open positions. U.S. Gulf Routes from the United States Gulf to the Far East have been a little more active and in some instances it has been almost difficult to cover some of the remaining July cargoes, particularly if they require specific conditions of carriage, such as heating and stainless....

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on United Arab Emirates-based Pangates International Corp. for providing material support – including lubricants, lubricant additives and base oil – to Syrias government, including Syrian state oil company Sytrol. According to a July 9 U.S. Treasury Department news release, from at least 2012 to April 2014, Pangates supplied Syrias government, including Sytrol, with a large amount of specialty petroleum products. Although these products ...

Evonik Oil Additives invested in and will collaborate with Biosynthetic Technologies, which makes base oils synthesized from fatty acids found in vegetable oils. Essen, Germany-headquartered Evonik recently closed on an investment in its existing partner, Irvine, Calif.-based Biosynthetic Technologies. Evonik didnt disclose the volume of the investment, or the precise amount of ownership it has in the company, but it is a minority stake which includes a seat on Biosynthetic Technologies board of...

Buffalo, N.Y.s Niagara Lubricant Co. reopened last week in a new location, three years after a fire razed its former factory, causing $8 million in damages. The new 60,000 square foot, one-story building in East Buffalo, which was formerly an American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. facility, cost between $2 million and $3 million, the company said. The plant is outfitted with what Niagara Lubricant Vice President Leon Smith IV calls a state-of-the-art fire suppression system. This thing is unbel...

Shell is laying off 17 of the 71 full-time employees at its lubricant plant in Brockville, Canada, at the end of August, a company spokesperson confirmed to Lube Report. Our Brockville plant is part of our lubricants business in North America. For that business to be competitive, sometimes we have to make tough choices to manage costs and in this particular case, some employees lost their jobs, a Shell spokesperson told Lube Report. The spokesperson said the plant is the largest blender and pack...