China’s June naphthenic base oils output stays low

China’s naphthenic base oils output held steady in June and in a narrow range throughout the second quarter of the year that was lower than the first quarter.

Output of close to 111,000t in June rose from just above 106,000t the previous month, according to OilChem China data.

Output of around 330,400t in the second quarter was down 19pc from just above 408,000t during the first three months of the year.

The drop in second-quarter output from the first three months of the year contrasted with a rise in Group II base oils production during the same period.

The lower output coincided with plant maintenance work and weaker-than-expected demand.