China’s May naphthenic base oils output falls

China’s naphthenic base oils output fell to a five-month low in May as scheduled plant maintenance work trimmed capacity.

Base oils output of around 106,000t in May fell from more than 113,000t the previous month, OilChem China data showed.

Output fell by more than 25pc from year-earlier levels. The contraction was the eighth in nine months.

Output of less than 627,000t in the first five months of the year was down 17pc from more than 755,000t during the same period last year.

Output fell despite China’s ending of its zero-Covid restrictions since late last year.