Commercial customers in the south east of England will soon be benefiting from an enhanced supply position thanks to Valero’s long-term agreement with NuStar to supply fuel from their Grays terminal on the Thames.
From February 2018, Valero will expand its range of products to include gasoline, thereby providing a full suite of products to its customers at the Nustar Grays terminal.
“By moving to NuStar we’re consolidating our position on the Thames into a single location,” said Mike Lewis, Valero’s vice president product supply.
“And by signing a long-term agreement we’re reinforcing our commitment to our customers and to delivering a reliable service.
“Since moving into the Thames market in 2014 we’ve seen considerable growth, and we’re now building on that position. We will continue to show our flexibility by offering fixed, floating, spot and term pricing. This will be backed up by our experienced and dedicated sales team who can respond quickly and professionally to meet our customers’ needs.
“For our existing customers, the changeover will be seamless, while new customers can be guaranteed to receive a reliable service and quality product, helping them remain competitive in a dynamic market.”
www.valero.com
Having acquired the 450,000 barrels per day Forties Pipeline System (FPS) on 31st October, INEOS discovered a small hairline crack in the pipe at Red Moss near Netherley, just south of Aberdeen during a recent routine inspection.
On Monday (18th) INEOS said that the pipeline was still undergoing assessment with there being a possible two to four weeks before it will be operational again. In addition to carrying crude oil, FPS is also carries around a third of the UK’s offshore natural gas output.
A repair and oil spill response team was mobilised in early December after a very small amount of oil seepage was reported. Measures to contain the seepage were put in place, no oil has been detected entering the environment and the pipe has been continuously monitored.
A 300-metre cordon was set-up and a small number of local residents were placed in temporary accommodation as precautionary measure. The pipeline pressure was reduced while a full assessment of the situation was made.
Despite reducing the pressure, the crack extended, and as a consequence the Incident Management Team decided that a controlled shutdown of the pipeline was the safest way to proceed.
This will allow for a suitable repair method to be worked up based on the latest inspection data, while reducing the risk of injury to staff and the environment.
As always, safety remains our top priority and local residents, FPS users and other stakeholders are all being kept fully informed of the situation as it develops.
www.ineos.com
A group of young oil industry ambassadors met with the All Party Parliamentary Group on the UK Oil Refining Sector to discuss the future of the industry
In partnership with UKPIA, the All Party Parliamentary Group on the UK Oil Refining Sector welcomed a group of young oil industry ambassadors from across the country earlier this month. The ambassadors were there to discuss the future of industry within the wider context of a new industrial strategy for the UK.
Looking ahead, the downstream oil sector is expected to continue powering the UK’s energy needs and mobility for many more years to come and will require the ingenuity, innovation and interest of the next generation of talent.
This event was a unique opportunity to hear from the young people behind the UK’s downstream oil sector and to increase awareness of future career opportunities to encourage more young talent to choose science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects to drive innovation and energise the UK’s future.
The event was chaired by the Martin Vickers MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the UK Oil Refining Sector, and led by an expert panel made up of professor Isobel Pollock-Hulf OBE, visiting professor, engineering and design, University of Leeds and Tony Burke, assistant general secretary, Unite the Union.
“This Future of the Industry event represented an important opportunity to highlight the use of science, technology and innovation in our business and to explore the exciting careers that are on offer for young people in the UK’s downstream oil sector,” said Stephen Marcos Jones, UKPIA’s director-general.
“I would like to thank the Group and all parliamentarians in attendance for giving us this platform to discuss the talent and skills necessary to fulfil tomorrow’s needs.”
“This event presented an ideal and timely opportunity to hear from the young people behind the downstream oil industry,” added Martin Vickers.
“Equipping our young talent with the right skills for the future will be essential to meet current and future skills shortages in this important sector.” www.ukpia.com
Last week National Grid announced that over 9,000 homes ranging from island cottages on Orkney to terraced houses in London are set to benefit from the first payments from its new £150m Warm Homes Fund.
The fund was set up using part of the proceeds from the sale of the company’s majority stake in its gas distribution business. It will fund the installation of affordable heating solutions in fuel poor households which don’t use mains gas as their primary source of heat.
The £150m from National Grid comes on top of the £589m already being returned to consumers on a voluntary basis by the company, bringing the total announced this year to £739m.
Following the first round of bidding, a total of £33m is now being awarded to 35 local authorities and social landlords representing partnerships across England, Scotland and Wales.
The money will be used to provide new heating systems for homes and will also fund programmes to help people with health conditions living in fuel poor households.
“Around 4.5 million households across the country are in fuel poverty,” said John Pettigrew, chief executive of National Grid.
“The aim of our new fund is threefold; to help to reduce bills, make fuel poor households warmer, and improve the health of people suffering the most severe levels of fuel poverty.
“The Warm Homes Fund was launched in late spring 2017 and provides financial support for the installation of affordable heating solutions in many thousands of fuel poor households which don’t use mains gas as their primary source of energy.”
The £150m is being awarded through three rounds of funding. Bids are now being invited for the second round of funding from local authorities and registered social landlords.
For more details and a list of the successful first round bidders go to www.affordablewarmthsolutions.org.uk
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Winners Ashleigh and Karl are congratulated by Mark Richardson of the Gulf Bolden Lane service station at South Shields
When Karl Esther and his fiancée Ashleigh Riddell stopped to fill up at Gulf’s Boldon Lane Service Station in South Shields, little did they know that they were also driving into the holiday of a lifetime.
The happy couple will now embark on a Los Angeles Car-Crazy Adventure as the winners of Gulf’s Cars 3 forecourt promotion, which was launched nationwide over the summer in conjunction with Disney Pixar and its animated sequel film, Cars3. The competition ran in tandem with the theatrical opening of Cars 3, which follows the ongoing adventures of the legendary Lightning McQueen. The prize includes flights, transfers, four nights at the 4-star Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Cadillac car tour, LA go pass, speedway go-kart racing, a trip on the iconic Santa Monica ferris wheel, free entry to the Petersen Car Museum and spending money. Cars 3 banners featured on participating Gulf service stations across the UK throughout the promotion, with runners up prizes including 5 Disney Store VIP experiences with £200 to spend, plus hundreds of items of Cars 3 merchandise as spot prizes.
Adrian Hill with Eric the Turkey and Erica
Morris Lubricants is once again entertaining the ‘growing army of Eric the Turkey fans’ with an annual festive episode about the adventurous bird – and this year there’s another beak to feed….
Eric is the creation of automotive products manager Adrian Hill, who has composed catchy Christmas songs and videos about the escapee turkey for the past five festive seasons. His mission is to add some much-needed humour to the Christmas celebrations.
Eric’s latest adventure, Eric the Turkey’s Christmas Nativity, has caused a few feathers to flutter and already has a good following on YouTube – https://youtu.be/qPYgFRR6Jls – and Adrian’s family, friends and workmates love the video.
This year, Eric and his partner, Erica, go to the city to visit friends and get snowed in. They are forced to look for somewhere to stay and find a Premier Inn where a precious parcel – an egg – hatches on Christmas Eve. Baby Eric is born.
Adrian hit on the idea of an avian-themed nativity story soon after completing last year’s video and is already thinking about Eric’s next adventure.
“People like this year’s video because it’s a proper Christmas theme with a happy ending,” explained Adrian.
“It’s a joyous occasion because there is a new member of Eric’s family.
“What I am going to do after Christmas is run a competition to name the baby turkey and the prize will be a specially designed Eric the Turkey T-shirt.
In a break with tradition, Eric even went on a summer holiday with Adrian and his family this year, which was the theme of another video. Taking Eric abroad together with inflatable pink flamingos to make the ‘Eric’s Summer Party’ video caused more than a few strange looks at the beach.
Fuel Oil News celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Chris Beetles Gallery at St James’s in London on Thursday 16th November.We were delighted to welcome readers and advertisers to the event, which also saw the launch of the new Fuel Oil News interactive storage & terminals map.
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