Volume 15 Issue 22

SSY Base Oil Shipping Report

The U.S. had another strong week on nearly every major route. Europe has been reasonably active too, given that there have been yet more public holidays, and Asia is gradually becoming busier with fewer prompt positions. U.S. Transatlantic eastbound has been the most active of the routes out of the U.S. this week. The arbitrage for benzene opened and 10,000 tons was heard fixed from the U.S. Gulf to Huelva at $70 per metric ton. Styrene has been especially busy to Antwerp-Rotterdam-Amsterdam, an...

FTC Snips Warranty Tie-ins

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is toughening its guidelines to clarify that implied tying – language that implies to a consumer that warranty coverage is conditioned on their use of select parts or service – is deceptive under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Industry groups hailed the action as a victory for consumers, and for sellers of engine oils, transmission fluids, gear oils and other automotive aftermarket products. The FTC announced it will make changes to interpretations ...

Belarus Rerefinery Opens

A Belarus-Cyprus entity will open a base oil rerefinery in Belarus, a $20 million investment. The plants opening ceremony today will be attended by regional authorities and company officials. It is a public-private partnership between the Belorussian Ministry for Natural Resources, MDD-Bel and DVCH Management. It was established in 2012 and its goal is to establish a nationwide network for collecting and processing used oils and other chemical waste. The rerefinery is located on a 14-hectares pl...

Hydrodec Commissions Rebuilt Canton Plant

Hydrodec this week will begin operating two of the six newly built production trains at its Canton, Ohio, transformer oil rerefinery, which had been shut since a December 2013 fire that debilitated its processing unit. The London-headquartered transformer oil rerefiner Hydrodec Group Plc. said it will produce from its two new expansion trains after final instrument tuning this week, and finish building and testing its other four replacement trains, which will stream sequentially once the first t...

Quick Lubes Combine for 50-unit Chain

Quick oil change operator Lube Stop announced Monday the acquisition of The Grease Spot, another oil change chain with 13 locations in Illinois and Iowa. The transaction makes Lube Stop the 15th-largest chain in the United States, according to one industry publication. A unit of private investment firm Argonne Capital Group, Cleveland-based Lube Stop had 37 shops in Northeastern Ohio before the acquisition, which made it the 18th-largest U.S. quick lube chain according to National Oil & Lube...

Gazproms Domestic Motor Oil Sales Soar

Russian oil major Gazpromneft-Lubricants increased its national sales of motor oils by 24 percent in the first quarter, compared to the year-earlier period. In the first quarter of this year Gazpromneft-Lubricants posted strong results in motor oils sold in Russia. In this period the companys motor oil sales amounted to 32,000 metric tons, including G-Energy-branded lubes, parent company Gazprom Neft said in a May 26 news release. The companys total volume of motor oils sold in Russia in this ye...

Briefly Noted

Troy Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ashlands industrial biocides business, including biocides used in metalworking fluids, for an undisclosed amount in a transaction expected to close within 60 days. Castrol signed an agreement to become preferred lubricants supplier at all 50 Tilden Car Care Center franchise locations across 11 states. Gazpromneft Lubricants last week opened its first express lube change station in Russias northern capital of St. Petersburg, its second such station in Russia.