SAUDI ARABIA - The Lubricants Sector.As part of industry-wide integration efforts since mid-1993, Saudi Aramco Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia, is the largest oil corporation in the world and the world's largest in terms of proven crude oil reserves and production. effectively controls most of the lubricants lubricantspreparations for the lubrication of passages to reduce frictional injury, e.g. oily preparations, including petroleum jelly, lanolin or water-soluble preparations such as methyl cellulose. sector. In mid-1996, Saudi Aramco took over from the state-owned petroleum and minerals company Petromin's 71% share in the Petromin Lubricating Oil Co. (Petrolube), with ExxonMobil still holding 29%, and a 70% stake in Petromin Lubricating Oil Refining Co. (Luberef) with ExxonMobil still holding 30%. Set up in 1968, Petrolube has plants in Jeddah, Riyadh and Jubail producing more than 6.5m b/y of lubricants for gasoline gasoline or petrol, light, volatile mixture of hydrocarbons for use in the internal-combustion engine and as an organic solvent, obtained primarily by fractional distillation and "cracking" of petroleum, but also obtained from natural gas, by , diesel and some light turbine engines, and over 8m t/y of grease grease, mixture of lubricant and thickener. It is used to reduce friction between surfaces from which oils would leak away or cause damage by dripping, or where lubrication must be assured for extended periods. Many greases are mixtures of mineral oil and soap. . Luberef, set up in 1976, has a 3m b/y lube oil plant at Jeddah and a one in Yanbu'. The Jubail Lube Oil Blending and Grease Manufacturing Co. is a 100%-owned Saudi Aramco unit located near Sasref. Petrolube exports to over 30 countries including China, and meets 60% of Saudi needs. Private and foreign firms distribute lubricants in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia (sä  `dē ərā`bēə, sou`–, sô–), officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kingdom (2005 est. pop. as well.
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