ADNOC Distribution Launches New Plant-Based Engine Oil

ADNOC Distribution formulates and produces the Voyager Green Series at its dedicated facility in the UAE, ensuring the highest levels of quality and efficiency in accordance with international standards.(WAM)
ADNOC Distribution formulates and produces the Voyager Green Series at its dedicated facility in the UAE, ensuring the highest levels of quality and efficiency in accordance with international standards.(WAM)
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ADNOC Distribution Launches New Plant-Based Engine Oil

ADNOC Distribution formulates and produces the Voyager Green Series at its dedicated facility in the UAE, ensuring the highest levels of quality and efficiency in accordance with international standards.(WAM)
ADNOC Distribution formulates and produces the Voyager Green Series at its dedicated facility in the UAE, ensuring the highest levels of quality and efficiency in accordance with international standards.(WAM)

ADNOC Distribution, UAE's leading fuel distributor, announced launching a new Voyager Green Series range of lubricant products for both petrol and diesel engines made from 100% plant-based base oil.

The company said it is bringing plant-based lubricants to the region for the first time, saying it comes as part of its plans to broaden lubricant offering and enhance its range of products that support a reduced carbon footprint

Voyager PX Green is developed specifically for petrol engines and Voyager DX Green for diesel engines. The high-quality blending technology is the first approach in the region to be made entirely from plant-based base oils, state news agency WAM reported.

ADNOC Distribution CEO Eng. Bader Saeed Al Lamk said the innovative new range offers customers a great range of choices to select the right lubricant for their vehicles.

"Leveraging our in-house research team and production facilities, we will continue to invest in innovation that offers greater choice, quality and supports our move towards a more diversified energy mix."

Plant-based base oils are made from sustainable feedstock sources, such as palm, soy, coconut and rapeseed. The range is formulated to deliver higher levels of engine performance than conventional synthetic base oils, due to its unique molecular composition.

Also, the new series will also carry certifications from the internationally recognized American Petroleum Institute (API) as well as and major vehicle manufacturer approvals, so customers can be assured of the highest levels of quality.

This new lubricants range will be available in the UAE from March 2022, as well as across the company’s international distribution network of 19 countries.



US Applications for Jobless Claims Fall to 201,000, Lowest Level in Nearly a Year

A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
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US Applications for Jobless Claims Fall to 201,000, Lowest Level in Nearly a Year

A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

US applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in nearly a year last week, pointing to a still healthy labor market with historically low layoffs.

The Labor Department on Wednesday said that applications for jobless benefits fell to 201,000 for the week ending January 4, down from the previous week's 211,000. This week's figure is the lowest since February of last year.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out the week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 10,250 to 213,000.

The overall numbers receiving unemployment benefits for the week of December 28 rose to 1.87 million, an increase of 33,000 from the previous week, according to The AP.

The US job market has cooled from the red-hot stretch of 2021-2023 when the economy was rebounding from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Through November, employers added an average of 180,000 jobs a month in 2024, down from 251,000 in 2023, 377,000 in 2022 and a record 604,000 in 2021. Still, even the diminished job creation is solid and a sign of resilience in the face of high interest rates.

When the Labor Department releases hiring numbers for December on Friday, they’re expected to show that employers added 160,000 jobs last month.

On Tuesday, the government reported that US job openings rose unexpectedly in November, showing companies are still looking for workers even as the labor market has loosened. Openings rose to 8.1 million in November, the most since February and up from 7.8 million in October,

The weekly jobless claims numbers are a proxy for layoffs, and those have remained below pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate is at a modest 4.2%, though that is up from a half century low 3.4% reached in 2023.

To fight inflation that hit four-decade highs two and a half years ago, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023. Inflation came down — from 9.1% in mid-2022 to 2.7% in November, allowing the Fed to start cutting rates. But progress on inflation has stalled in recent months, and year-over-year consumer price increases are stuck above the Fed’s 2% target.

In December, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate for the third time in 2024, but the central bank’s policymakers signaled that they’re likely to be more cautious about future rate cuts. They projected just two in 2025, down from the four they had envisioned in September.