US’ Feb paraffinic base oils output falls

US paraffinic base oils output fell to a six-month low in February as plant-maintenance slashed production in Louisiana.

Total paraffinic base oils output of 3.42mn bl (481,130t) in February fell from 4.17mn bl in January and by 12pc from year-earlier levels, according to the EIA.

The volume was down from average levels of 4.05mn bl/month over the past year.

Output fell because of a slump in production in Louisiana to 816,000bl. The volume fell from 1.42mn bl in January to the lowest since 2017.

Output fell because of scheduled plant maintenance work in Louisiana that began in late January and extended to April.

US base oils prices remained under pressure in the first quarter of the year even with the drop in production.