BP Castrol last week said it plans to close its lubricant blending plant in Ellesmere Port, England, in fall of 2009. The site – the companys last such plant in the United Kingdom – manufactures Castrol GTX, GTX Magnetec and Duckhams brand motor oils. Robert Wine, BP Castrol spokesman, said the company informed staff Nov. 19 of plans to close the facility. Its a fairly small operation, and about 40 people will be affected by the closure, Wine told Lube Report. The plan is to close it...

HOUSTON – In light of current market conditions, an Ergon executive said, future naphthenic demand is a larger unknown than usual, but despite the uncertainties, he predicted that todays global naphthenic surplus will become a shortfall by 2012. Per Klintstam, president of Ergon Europe/Middle East/Africa in Waterloo, Belgium, told the NPRA International Lubricants and Waxes meeting earlier this month that worldwide demand for naphthenics, particularly for use as process oils, will outpace...

A disagreement over sludge protection claims in Castrol GTX motor oil advertising led to a war of words between BPAmerica and Shell subsidiary Pennzoil-Quaker State, adjudicated by the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. A self regulatory forum for the advertising industry, the NAD has recommended BP America modify or discontinue the disputed advertising claims for the companys Castrol GTX motor oil, following a challenge of the advertising by Pennzoil-Quaker...

A two-month ordeal for the crew and owners of a hijacked tanker ship, whose cargo included naphthenic base oils bound for India from the U.S. Gulf Coast, ended last week when its Somali captors released the ship and crew. Stolt-Nielsen S.A. on Nov. 17 confirmed that its M/T Stolt Valor cargo ship was released Nov. 16 by its Somali hijackers, who took control of the ship two months ago. All crew members were unharmed. The ships cargo included 4,000 metric tons of naphthenic base oils that origin...

The National Petrochemical and Refiners Associations Report on 2007 U.S. Lubricating Oil and Wax Sales was published last week, making its farewell appearance without capturing sales data from some usual participants, most notably ExxonMobil. NPRA has decided to discontinue the report, citing the costs of producing it and feedback questioning its usefulness. ExxonMobil had participated in the NPRA survey for at least three straight decades, and while the oil majors lack of participation hurts th...

Total Lubricants North America has acquired independent lubricant manufacturer Lubricants USA LP of Plano, Texas, for an undisclosed amount. Acquisition of Lubricants USA provides a springboard for Total to significantly expand its presence within the U.S. lubricants and greases industry, said Olivier Goutal, vice president of Total Lubricants North America. We look forward to continued growth with [Lubricants USAs] distributors, as well as enlisting prospective distributors in new market geogra...