Thirty-six companies charged with hazardous contamination of soil and groundwater at the Breslube-Penn Superfund Site in Coraopolis, Pa., have agreed to clean up the former waste-oil transfer station, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Justice announced last week. The companies agreed to fund and/or complete a $12 million cleanup at the seven-acre site, according to the settlement filed in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Pennsylvania. The United State...

Lanxess AG will acquire the business and production assets of Chinese-based Jiangsu Polyols Chemical Co. Ltd., which produces polyalcohols that can be used in lubricants. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Jiangsu Polyols reported sales of 10 million in 2008 and currently employs 170 staff at its location in Liyang Liqiang Industry Zone of Jiangsu Province. Lanxess said its basic chemicals business unit is already a major supplier of TMP in China and will integrate Jiangsu into its gl...

Chevron has selected U.K.-based Multisol Ltd. as an authorized distributor of its API Group II/II+ base oils in Europe. Chevron Belgium N.V. selected Multisol because it offers prospective customers a full range of services, including local storage, logistics and technical support, the company announced yesterday. Multisol, based in Nantwich, is an international chemical distributor with sales over 100 million ($163 million). Multisols breadth of service combined with its technical experience...

Oxea recently announced price increases on polyols, olefins and carboxylic acids used in lubricants, while Dow said it would raise prices on a number of oxygenated solvents. Oberhausen, Germany-based Oxea on Monday said it would increase list and off-list prices on five lines of polyols and olefin derivatives effective July 1, or as contracts allow. The increases are by 5 cents to 7 cents per pound in the Americas, by 50 (U.S. $70) to 100 per metric ton in Europe and by $100 to $150 per metric ...

European trade has improved slightly, lifting freights by a dollar or so on some routes. The American market has been steady, but with no significant tonnage being fixed into the region space looks set to remain tight. Asia is a disaster for many ship owners unable to find any cargo with which to send their ships back to Europe or the United States to reload. U.S. Gulf of Mexico Nothing much has changed on the U.S. market. Cargo volumes are steady if unexciting. Rates however remain firm since ...