Trade out of the U.S. Gulf has been slightly more active the past few days. Europe is also making progress. Asia is slow as it emerges from a long holiday. Americas Rates to Europe have softened a little more, with 5,000-ton parcels more frequently in the low- to mid $60s per metric ton than in the mid- to high $60s/t. However, there has recently been good demand for glycols, phenol, vinyl acetate monomer, styrene and ethanol. There has also been some interest in shipping parcels of 3,000-5,000-...

API Group I still holds the largest share of the global base oil market, but Group III is expected to grow the fastest over the next five years, driven by supply push rather than technical considerations, according to Kline & Co. Parsippany, N.J.-based consultancy Kline estimated global lubricant base stock supply in 2014 – including paraffinic API Group I, II, III and naphthenics – at 38 million metric tons. The changing supply-demand balance for various base stocks is impactin...

Impending changes in European regulations may sharply reduce permissible levels of lead in steel, aluminum and copper alloys as soon as January 2017. As a result, manufacturers of precision machined parts worldwide would experience significant changes in their metal supply chains and their markets for machined parts, an industry expert warned recently. Because lead (Pb) is critical to the machinability of many metals, these regulations could reduce machining efficiency by 25 percent or more and ...

Castrol launched the Nexcel oil cell – a combination lube container and filter – which aims to offer faster oil changes while reducing wasted used oil and carbon dioxide emissions. The British energy company claims the new technology – dubbed the Nexcel oil cell – will allow oil to be changed in approximately 90 seconds, compared to conventional oil changes today, which typically require approximately 20 minutes. The Aston Martin Vulcan racing supercar will be the first v...

Kuwait Petroleum International and Gunvor Group reached the final stage of negotiations on the sale of the KP Europoort refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The site includes an API Group I base oil plant with production capacity of 4,650 barrels per day. The deal has not yet closed, and we have not outlined publicly our plans for the asset, Gunvor Group Corporate Affairs Director Seth Thomas Peitras told Lube Report, referring to the base oil plant. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and...

NYNASHAMN, Sweden – By 2019, naphthenic oils are expected to account for 12 percent of the worlds projected total base oil demand of 36 million metric tons per year, according to a forecast presented at an industry event here last week. In 2014, naphthenic oils had a 10 percent share of the global base oil market, an official from Swedish refiner Nynas told the Swedish Tribodyas conference. But while overall base oil demand stagnates, pale oil demand is expected to rise as lubricant blende...