The U.S. is still remarkably active and freights are firm. Both Europe and Asia have some quiet sectors, but there are also routes where more activity has been recorded. U.S. Gulf July space into the Far East is almost entirely covered, with the main exceptions being one or two ships that have slipped back on dates and have, therefore, been cancelled on a couple of items. August is already fairly tight at this stage, as contractual nominations have been strong. Spot demand includes more paraxyle...

Labels on automatic transmission fluid should be clearer in some states starting in January, following recent handbook amendments adopted by the National Conference on Weights and Measures that also provide criteria for how to substantiate performance claims for multi-vehicle and suitable-for-use ATFs. The NCWM adopted changes to the labeling and documentation requirements in NIST Handbook 130 for transmission fluids. These fall under two sections: Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale Commo...

Repsol is investing 5 million (U.S. $5.8 million) to raise production at its Puertollano blending and packaging facility, the company announced earlier this month. This investment to increase its domestic and international lubricant supply comes as a part of Repsols 2017 to 2021 strategic plan. Ivn Corral Pedraz, an internal communications officer, told Lube Report the investment will be used for improvements in blending lines, for the installation of new packaging lines, to create additional st...

American and Asian automakers have sent an official request to the American Petroleum Institute, urging that it create as soon as possible a supplement to the existing ILSAC GF-5 standard for gasoline-fueled engine oils. The automakers say a GF-5 Plus supplement would immediately beef up the existing specification by measuring how well oils protect engines from low-speed pre-ignition. The supplement should be able to begin licensing by Jan. 1, 2018, according to the July 20 letter sent by Ron Ro...

Heritage Crystal Cleans oil business segment – which includes used oil collection activities, sales of recycled fuel oil and re-refining activities – posted $31.3 million in revenue for the quarter ending June 17, up 11.3 percent from $28.1 million in the year-earlier period. The Elgin, Illinois-based rerefiner cited higher pricing for base oil products, offset by lower used oil collection charges, as the driving force behind the revenue increase. HCCs operating margin for its oil bu...