Long-awaited rules to encourage government procurement of biobased products, as required by the 2002 Farm Bill, finally have begun to emerge from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The first group of items designated by USDA to be accorded preference in all federal purchases includes mobile equipment hydraulic fluids and penetrating lubricants. More items will be added quickly to the list in coming months, it says. The final rule, published in the March 16 Federal Register, set thresholds for t...

Amalie Oil Co. said Monday that it has purchased rights to the Wolfs Head brand from Shells lubricant business in the United States. Tampa, Florida-based Amalie said it views the 127-year-old brand as a good vehicle for growth. An official at Amalie noted that the companys own brand is approaching 100 years of age and, like Wolfs Head, was created in western Pennsylvania where the U.S. oil industry was born. In a way, Amalie and Wolfs Head are like kissing cousins, Senior Vice President of Sale...

Higher shipment volumes and a better price/product mix pushed Lubrizol Corp.s first-quarter revenues to $984 million, a gain of nearly 16 percent over first quarter 2005, the company announced Monday. Roughly two-thirds of that came from Lubrizols Lubricant Additives division, where revenues reached $627.5 million for the quarter, or 22 percent higher than the year before. The segments operating income reached $74.4 million, a gain of 10 percent over a year ago. While earnings from continuing o...

Ship operators frequenting ports in Northern Europe are juggling a number of issues related to new regulations that will require use of low-sulfur fuel oil beginning this summer. But most can cross one concern off their list: They probably wont have to change diesel cylinder lubricants to accommodate the new fuels, according to lubricant suppliers and an engine manufacturer. The caveat is that all operators should inspect their engines after first use of low-sulfur fuel to ensure they do not nee...

Royal Dutch Shells proposed gas-to-liquids joint venture in Qatar will be subjected to extra scrutiny in coming months, due to escalating estimates about what it could cost. Recent news reports quoted Shell Chief Executive Jeroen van der Veer stating that the company will look closely at the rising price tag for the project, which has been planned in conjunction with Qatar Petroleum and which includes a base oil plant originally scheduled to open three years from now. Van der Veer added that the...