The U.S. market has been quiet since it was effectively closed much of last week for Independence Day. European demand is decent, but down slightly from the previous week. Asia is fractionally quieter too. Americas As is the case with all the trade lanes out of the U.S. Gulf, very little has occurred over the past week since many offices closed or began preparing for Independence Day from the middle of last week. This has not caused any particular hardship on the eastbound transatlantic route, s...

Barring unforeseen setbacks, the American Petroleum Institutes new heavy-duty engine oil categories, known as PC-11A and PC-11B, are back on track to launch in the marketplace next year – just as engine builders wanted – with a first licensing date of Dec. 1, 2016. Previously, APIs Lubricants Group had cautioned that the new oils were falling behind schedule and might not be launched sooner than March 1, 2017. Oil marketers concerns revolved around the need to define the performance ...

In its first public comments about the decision to close its Nizhny Novgorod base oil plant, Lukoil said it shut the facility because of dwindling demand for its solvent neutral 150 stock. While it is the third Russian [API] Group I base oil plant shutdown since 2011, industry insiders said they know of no existing plans to close additional facilities. Lukoil cut its base oil exports, and it is likely that its product offerings are balanced now, Denis Varaksin, base oil trader of Berlin, Germany...

Ineos Oligomers will build a unit at its La Porte, Texas, polyalphaolefin plant that will produce 20,000 metric tons per year of high-viscosity PAO upon start-up in late 2016. Ineos Oligomers announced yesterday that by 2017, it will supply 20,000 metric tons per year of high-viscosity polyalphaolefins at a separate unit that it is building at its La Porte, Texas, PAO facility. Ineos has been scaling up production of high-vis PAOs at a separate facility in an undisclosed North American location ...

Luberefs Yanbual Bahr, Saudi Arabia, refinery expansion – which will add 700,000 metric tons per year of API Group II base oil and increased bright stock production – is scheduled for completion in early 2016, with production commencing in 2016s second quarter, a company official told Lube Report. Abdulwasea Bokhary, Luberefs manager for corporate planning, said the Yanbu expansion announced in 2012 includes a new Group II plant and a revamp of some existing Group I production facili...

JOHANNESBURG – Sub-Saharan African lube blenders have been slow to switch to API Group II base stocks, but speakers at an industry conference here said they will need to shift soon and that base oil and additive suppliers can help with the challenges that will bring. A June 25 question-and-answer panel at the Argus African Base Oil and Lubricants Conference suggested blenders will use Group II for some of their base stock needs to avoid falling behind the competition. Chevron Base Oil Prod...