Wellington, New Zealand-based Z Energy is buying Chevron New Zealand, operator of the Caltex chain of service stations in the country. The deal, which also includes Chevron's lubricant sales and distribution business in New Zealand, is valued at NZ$785 (US$555) million.

Saudi Arabia's Petromin has signed a partnership agreement with Suzuki Barayan, the leading company for selling motorcycles in the Kingdom and the local agent for Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corp. Petromin will provide lubricants to Suzuki-Barayan branches throughout the Kingdom.

Re-refiner Hydrodec has confirmed that, following a commissioning process, the rebuilt and expanded plant in Canton, Ohio is now opened. First sales of base oil are expected shortly after production starts, with transformer oil sales following after detailed testing and certification, three to four weeks later.

Dubai-based ENOC Lubricants & Grease has expanded its capacity through the opening, in Jebel Ali, of its second UAE blending location, thus increasing its total production capacity to over 300,000 MT per year. The company also has an existing lube blending plant in Fujairah, UAE.

Officials from BASF and PETRONAS last Thursday attended the ground-breaking of a 30,000 tons 2-Ethylhexanoic Acid (2-EHAcid) production plant at the BASF PETRONAS Chemicals Sdn Bhd integrated site in Kuantan. 2-EHAcid is a chemical intermediate used in the production of synthetic lubricants as well as oil additives.

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