Asia-Pacific base oils exports to East and South Africa edged up in September but remained much lower than usual.Exports of 8,420t in September to Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa combined rose from 5,320t the previous month to the second-highest level this year, government data showed.But exports held below the 10,000t level for the eighth time in nine months. They fell below that level just once in 2021.The sustained slowdown cut total exports to those markets to 33,630t in the first nine months of the year. The volume, from South Korea and Singapore combined, was down from 118,670t during the same period last year.The slowdown reflected more a shift in trade flows than any sharp change in demand in those African markets..Including the Netherlands, base oils exports of 102,480t to East and South Africa in the first eight months of the year was still down from year-earlier levels. But the 10pc drop in shipments from 114,170t during the same period last year was smaller than the slump in Asia-Pacific exports to the region.The trend reflected the surge in shipments from the northwest European country to South Africa and East Africa from the start of the year.The subsequent drop in shipments from Asia-Pacific to those markets freed up more volumes for more regional markets like China, India, and southeast Asia.The additional availability coincided with unexpectedly weak Chinese lube demand throughout most of this year and added to persistent surplus supply in the Asia-Pacific market..Asia-Pac base oils exports to Africa fall
