US’ March imports include more non-Group III base oils

US imports of Group III base oils accounted for a lower share of the country’s total shipments in March amid rising volumes from other sources.

Imports of base oils from sources with Group III production capacity fell to a four-month low of little more than 1mn bl (147,400t) in March, government data showed.

Imports from sources with Group I or Group II capacity rose to more than 245,000bl in March. The volume was the highest in four months.

Imports from other sources got a boost from an increasingly regular flow of larger volumes from the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.