Lub-rref (Bangladesh) Limited, Chittagong, has signed a contract with Chemical Engineering Partners, California to build a Lube Base Oil Refinery in Chittagong. This facility will treat used lube oil and refinery by-products producing approximately 50,000 MT/Y (1,000 bpd) of Group II lube base oil.

Singapore-based Petroleum Specialties Pte. Ltd., subsidiary of Mumbai-headquartered Apar Industries Limited, has opened a new US$18 million (Dirham 66 million) 30,000 square metre white oils manufacturing operation in Sharjah’s Hamriyah Free Zone, UAE.

AkzoNobel has rejected a $22 billion unsolicited takeover bid from PPG Industries and announced a review of strategic options for separation of its specialty chemicals business. Akzonobel's amide, amine and alkoxylated amine product lines of cationic surfactants finds use in lubricants as friction modifiers, corrosion inhibitors, grease thickeners, detergents, emulsifiers and coupling agents.

Two large U.S. lubricant distributors, Winchester, KY-based Apollo Oil and Asheboro, NC-based Pugh Lubricants have announced a merger creating an organization uniquely positioned to serve the growing automotive, trucking and industrial lubrication markets in eastern U.S. states.

• Calumet to Increase Naphthenic Base Oil Prices by 15 CPG Effective March 23
• Cross Oil to Increase Prices on All of Its Naphthenic Oils by 15 CPG, Effective March 20
• Indian Oil Corporation Sells 24% Stake of Its 50:50 JV in Lubrizol India Pvt Ltd to Lubrizol Corporation