BP and Castrol – back in partnership with Renault Sport Racing Last Thursday (26th January) BP and Renault Sport Racing announced a new partnership. BP joins the recently reformed Renault Sport Formula One Team in support of its ambition to fight for the World Championship in the next five years. In March BP and Castrol will provide fuels and lubricants for the upcoming Formula 1 season which starts in Melbourne, Australia. “Developing leading fuel and lubricant technologies is a key priority for BP,” commented Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP Downstream. “This partnership creates exciting opportunities for the teams in Renault and BP to work together to further our cutting edge fuel and lubricant technologies in the highly competitive world of Formula 1.” The last time the two companies worked together was during the 1997 season when Williams Renault won both the Formula 1 Constructors Championship and the Drivers Championship “The return of BP and Castrol, brands with such strong heritage in motorsport, is very good news and opens new opportunities for our Formula 1 team,” said Jérôme Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing. “With the new aerodynamic regulations for the 2017 Formula One season, power sensitivity will increase,” said Cyril Abiteboul, managing director, Renault Sport Racing. “Therefore fuels and lubricants will make an even greater difference to the overall performance of the car than they have since the new power unit regulations have been introduced in 2014.”www.bp.comwww.renaultsport.com

Team manager Andy Miller (l) with driver Mike Simmons with the Ice Bear during their visit to Morris Lubricants Morris Lubricants has paired up with the world’s most powerful motorsport – tractor pulling. Totally rebuilt last year, the Bear Essential’s Ice bear was originally built in 1996 and is based on a 160hp Valtra tractor with wheel speeds of 90kmh. Last season Ice Bear, which runs on diesel, was unbeaten in UK competition and finished fourth in the European championships. Tractor pulling is simple – take one skilfully modified tractor and try to drag an increasingly heavy sledge as far as possible – up to 60 tonnes down a 100m track in 10 seconds! To get over the line every inch of the tractor must perform to its maximum. The main product used in the Ice Bear is Morris Lubricants Versimax HD3 20W-50 diesel engine oil. “Morris Lubricants has helped us grow and improve as a team to compete at the very top level of the Prostock class in UK and European competition,” said team manager Andy Miller. “It’s incredible to see the sheer power of the tractor, a real achievement of human endeavour,” said Andrew Goddard, Morris Lubricants managing director. “This is another example of how well our products perform in the agricultural market one of our key sectors, especially when they are put to the ultimate test like this.”

INEOS, which is importing shale gas from the USA, is currently progressing with surveys to evaluate the geology and gas potential of its sites across England. It is also planning the next stages of its extensive community consultation programme Last week INEOS welcomed the decision of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that claims made by the Friends of the Earth (FOE) misled the public. The ruling comes after an exhaustive 14-month investigation found that FOE could not substantiate a number of scare stories. “The false claims have formed the heart of the FOE’s wrongheaded opposition to fracking and we’re pleased to see the record corrected,” said Tom Pickering, INEOS shale operations director. “INEOS is always happy to debate on the facts and answer any questions and concerns that members of the public or groups may have. However, as this ruling has made clear Friends of the Earth have been spreading false information and misleading the public about this important issue. The ASA found that Friends of the Earth was unable to support claims that chemicals used in fracking were dangerous to humans and that a US fracking site caused an increase in asthma and that the public in Britain would be a similar risk if they lived near to a fracking site. FOE adverts that also claimed falling house prices and risks of cancer were as a result of fracking would also not be allowed to be run again. “We have previously offered to meet with Friends of the Earth, and also Friends of the Earth Scotland, to have a grown-up science based discussion of the issues around shale gas extraction but unsurprisingly neither organisation wishes to engage with us,” added Tom. “We will continue, however, to try to make this meeting happen as our energy and manufacturing sectors are too important to allow fake facts to influence the debate. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with all parties based on the true realities of shale gas.”  www.ineos.com Also commenting on the ASA’s findings, Ken Cronin, chief executive of UKOOG, said: “This is an important ruling by the authority, which consulted with numerous independent scientific, health and regulatory experts before concluding that the anti-fracking myths perpetrated by Friends of the Earth were fundamentally false. “The opponents of onshore oil and gas development must withdraw their scaremongering rhetoric and argue on the basis of the facts, which quite clearly show that the risks associated with fracking can be mitigated by the strong regulation and world renowned best practice that we benefit from in the UK.”   www.ukoog.org.uk 

“This new facility will provide a convenient refuelling station for the haulage community when using our new Liverpool2 Container Terminal or any of our port facilities,” said Andrew Martin, group land and property director for Peel Ports Group Once a disused piece of land, a new state-of-the-art facility providing diesel, gas oil and AdBlue® will open on Thursday in the Port of Liverpool, allowing up to 8 HGVs to refuel simultaneously. “We’re delighted that our schedule of works has gone to plan and it is great to see the new site nearing completion,” said Andrew Goodwin, national bunker manager for Certas Energy. “This is a major milestone for us in our strategy to develop a national network of refuelling locations. We’re looking forward to welcoming port users to this flagship facility and offering customers a convenient way to refuel whilst they’re within the port. “We’re pleased with the partnership that we’ve built with Peel Ports Group and look forward to this continuing in the future”. Maritime Transport, which will be using the refuelling site, stated: “The site is just a few minutes’ drive from our Liverpool depot. This means that our drivers can fill up easily and not have to worry about filling up whilst enroute to their next job. The fact that fuel is pumped at 120 litres per minute means our drivers will be able to fill up in around three minutes.”www.certasenergy.co.ukwww.peelports.com

‘Rontec is delighted to have extended its relationship with Hoyer which now delivers fuel to all Rontec service stations throughout the UK,’ says Tom Cookson, Rontec’s director of fuels HOYER Petrolog has extended its agreement with Rontec to supply circa 200 of the company’s forecourts across the UK through to September 2021. “Rontec has been a major customer of HOYER Petrolog since 2012 and this new contract is a sign of the strong long-standing relationship between our two companies,” said Allan Davison, operations director for Hoyer Petrolog UK. As well as the existing contract term being extended, Rontec has added 18 additional sites to its network in the Midlands and North West which will require the HOYER Petrolog fleet to collect fuel from the Valero terminals in Kingsbury and Manchester. These additional sites will be the first Texaco-branded forecourts Hoyer has supplied in the UK. Allan Davison added: “This growth is fantastic for the Petrolog fleet and continues to show that improving our flexibility and agility in a changing market place helps us to secure long-term business and ensure job security for all of our employees.”www.hoyer.uk.com

Aidan Flynn, FTA Ireland’s new general manager, who has held a number of senior leadership positions within the transport and logistics sector in Ireland Aidan Flynn, who was previously business services manager, took up the post last week and is looking forward to launching exciting new projects in 2017. “I am honoured and extremely proud to be chosen to lead the FTA Ireland team,” said Aidan. “I’ve worked with FTAI since the formative years of the Association in Ireland and together we’ve established a viable trade association in the midst of the worst economic recession in our country’s recent history, and have done so by promoting safety and compliance requirements to fleet operators. “One of my key strengths is relationship building and I thrive on working with the members, promoting our services and listening to their issues. I am committed to ensuring that all of us at FTAI work tirelessly to meet our vision to be the most admired and influential membership trade association in Ireland and the undisputed voice of the supply chain with the public and government. “FTA Ireland will continue to focus on promoting compliance, working with all stakeholders in a progressive and professional manner and continuously encouraging our members to push for higher safety and operational standards.”www.ftai.ie

At a meeting in September, the Fuel Experts Association together with the Fuel Industry Working Group met with HSE’s head of manufacturing, transport and utilities unit to give a presentation on the potential unacceptable cost to UK industry due to the reclassification of diesel. Last month HSE clarified the application of HSG 176.

  A staggering £2,099,518 worth of fuel was recorded as stolen across the UK in 2015. The data, obtained by Certas Energy under the Freedom of Information Act*, reveals that 19,755 commercial fuel thefts were recorded across the year, compared to 9,429 recorded domestic fuel thefts.  The total recorded value for commercial fuel theft, including reported thefts from petrol stations, was £1,469,354.13. Greater Manchester had the highest number of commercial fuel thefts, with a total of 3,804 reported in 2015. South Yorkshire was the second highest, with 2,382 recorded crimes and Hertfordshire took third place with 1,705. As well as being the second highest for commercial fuel theft, South Yorkshire was the area with the most domestic fuel theft, with 2,368 recorded thefts. Dyfed-Powys police had the second highest rate of domestic theft, with 1,683 recorded instances. South Wales was the third highest, with 1,207 recorded thefts. The total recorded value for domestic fuel theft was £630,163.93.   Fuel theft hotspots by recorded instances

BP’s Sullom Voe terminal in Shetland Turner & Townsend has won a contract to provide quantity surveying and cost management services at Sullom Voe terminal in Shetland and the Forties Pipeline System. The global professional services consultancy firm will support all activities including projects and turnarounds for BP at a number of onshore locations. BP is one of Turner & Townsend’s largest global clients across the natural resources, infrastructure and real estate sectors. Turner & Townsend provides programme management, project controls, contract services, quantity surveying and consulting in all segments of BP’s business (upstream, midstream, downstream and real estate) around the world. “We’re delighted once again to be working so closely with BP on a series of significant projects that are of strategic importance to North Sea oil and gas,” said director Miles Cameron. “Being awarded this contract is a great opportunity to further show our experience and expertise in optimising performance and cost management. It’s early days, but mobilisation and integration have been successful and we look forward to building on such a solid start.” Notable current and recent BP assignments for Turner & Townsend include various projects on the North Slope (Alaska), BP’s pipelines and logistics programme (USA), Quad 204 and Clair Ridge (UK), Khazzan (Oman), the Tangguh Expansion Project (Indonesia) and the terminals upgrade programme (Mozambique).

Enter before 18th December 2016 for your chance to win an iPad mini before Christmas. To play the game, which was launched on 1st December by Phillips 66 and JET, visit www.winwithjet.co.uk/ where you simply have to run further than 750m with Santa then enter your details to be in with a chance! When you get over 750m Phillips 66 and JET will donate £1 per day to Children with Cancer UK  – just tick the box and they will do the rest. Enter before 18th December 2016 for your chance to win.T&Cs apply http://bit.ly/2fJl0vG. Over 18s only. Valid 1st – 18th Dec 2016.

Retail and wholesale customers of Phillips 66 joined the company for the 2016 Customer Conference. With a theme of 20/20 vision: growing together, the two-day event was held at the Powerscourt Hotel in Enniskerry on Ireland’s east coast.  The conference incorporated a mixture of business content, from specialist presentations and open forums, to business to business networking and a mini expo where a number of Phillips 66’ key suppliers and industry partners were on hand to share advice, offer demonstrations, and highlight new products and services available to Phillips 66’ customers.  All retail customers were given a copy of the company’s new ‘Guide to JET’s Retail Services’ brochure, which pulls together the company’s range of retail support services and partner offers available to JET dealers.  The event also offered customers a range of social activities, including informal networking opportunities, dining options including a celebratory dinner where the 2016 Proud to be Jet award winners were announced, and a range of outdoor pursuits including golf, fishing, falconry, and off-roading.  “Our conference was an ideal opportunity for us to share JET and Phillips 66’ vision for the future and highlight our investment and growth plans across our retail and wholesale businesses,” commented Mary Wolf, managing director of UK marketing. “We were able to demonstrate to our customers our continued commitment to building an organisation that is better aligned with the market and gives added focus to pricing and demand management.  “We also used the event as an opportunity to gain feedback from our customers, offering a number of breakout sessions so that our guests could choose what they wanted to hear about and discuss. Some of these sessions were open discussions where customers were encouraged to share their thoughts on any matters that they felt were important to their business. These were very well attended, with lots of customer participation and valuable feedback.”  As well as welcoming customers from across its UK network, Phillips 66 also invited industry experts Brian Madderson of the Petrol Retailers Association and Mark Askew of the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers to deliver presentations at the conference.  Also attending the event were Merril Boulton, editor of Forecourt Trader magazine, Brian Mandell, president, marketing at Phillips 66 and Nicolas Hamilton, JET’s brand ambassador, who delivered a speech about his personal journey to achieve his dreams and how he overcame many obstacles along the way. “We’re delighted that our customer conference was such a success and plans are already underway for our next event,” added Mary Wolf. www.phillips66.co.uk

Ian Ross of NWF Fuels took the 2016 title – does your company have this year’s finest tanker driver? With less than six months to go until FPS EXPO 2017, the hunt is on to find the finest tanker driver in the UK and Republic of Ireland – your nominations are now invited for the FPS Driver Of The Year Awards 2017. “Each year we don’t think we can improve on what has gone before but we’re always amazed by both the number and quality of entries we receive year on year,” said Dawn Shakespeare, FPS marketing and events manager. “2016 certainly beat all years for the number of entries so we’re all excited about the uptake for our 2017 Award.” This annual nationwide competition sets out to find the driver who has gone the ‘extra mile’ for his/her customers or who has done something way beyond their normal duties. Sponsored by OAMPS Hazardous Industries this prestigious award carries a £1000 winner’s prize and two runner-up prizes of £250 each. “Safety is the highest priority in the oil distribution industry and the aim of the competition is to demonstrate industry leading standards of customer care, skill and professionalism. This competition gives recognition to the hard work of the drivers.  All finalists can feel proud of their achievements,” adds Dawn. The competition rules mean that only companies who are FPS members may submit nominations for drivers who have been employed by the company since the start of 2016.  The competition is also limited to one entry per depot.  In addition, the nominated driver must have had an incident free year (no accidents or spillages) in 2016. Nomination forms and further information are available via www.fpsonline.co.uk/events or by emailing ds@fpsonline.co.uk.The closing date for entries is 28th February 2017. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in March 2017 with the winner being announced in April 2017

The Abbey Logistics fleet has been expanded by the addition of 20 DAF XF and CF tractor units Abbey Logistics Group, one of the UK’s largest bulk liquid and powder transport providers has expanded its fleet with the addition of 20 DAF XF and CF tractor units, as it continues to increase the efficiency and flexibility of its nationwide transport network. The new vehicles will support operations serving the food ingredients, construction, and non-hazardous chemical sectors and also provide flexible support to Abbey’s palletised business. “Abbey worked closely with DAF to tailor these units to suit the specialist products we transport,” said David Batty, Abbey Logistics fleet manager. “Safety and hygiene standards are critical to the services we provide, together with fuel efficiency, CO2 emissions and driver comfort. DAF clearly demonstrated they understood our requirements and the decision to add these new vehicles to our fleet was ultimately an easy one.” “We’re naturally delighted to continue our strong partnership with Abbey Logistics,” said, Mike Hudson, truck sales executive at supplying DAF Dealer, North West Trucks. “Abbey was the first UK operator to take our CF Silent low-noise tractor unit, demonstrating the company’s willingness to put its environmental credentials on the road where it matters.”www.abbeylogisticsgroup.com 

All ArcoPro FR hazardwear garments are tested to IEC 61482 to ‘ensure the highest possible protection for wearers against heat and flame’ Arco has conducted two sets of tests on its ArcoPro range, which includes base layers, mid layers, workwear, and weather protection, both on individual garments and in combinations. The test results clearly show the benefits of layering the garments to achieve a higher level of protection for the wearer. The only supplier in the safety industry to utilise combination testing to increase the level of protection provided by its hazardwear, Arco has also launched a new online product selection tool. The selection tool enables users to determine what layering combinations provide the level of protection they require. The tool provides two alternatives: customers can either enter the CAL rating required for their determined application enabling the tool to display combinations that meet or exceed that rating, or customers can select individual garments from the range to build up a layering system. The ArcoPro Flame Retardant (FR) range offers a collection of technical garments designed and tested to ensure safety, even in the most hazardous working environments. To help customers understand the complex combinations required to increase the level of arc flash protection provided Arco has also developed an Expert Guide to Arc Flash Protection designed to present the range of products which offer protection against the threat of arc flash, show the combinations of protective layers, and explain how to quantify the Arc rating of a protective garment. The guide also includes details of up to date EN Standards and the key product features and benefits. “Assessing arc flash risk and choosing the right protective garments is imperative in protecting workers and saving lives when accidents happen,” said Richard Sansom, product and procurement manager.www.arco.co.uk

The new tank farm at CSG’s Middlesbrough oil reclamation facility “Our plan is to recover substantial quantities of useful lubricating oils, fuels and other hydrocarbon products from waste oils brought to the plant from across the north east,” said operations manager Jen Cartmell Having completed an £850,000 infrastructure building programme at its Middlesbrough oil reclamation facility, waste management group CSG says the site is now ‘fully open for business.’ CSG took over the 2.2 acre site when it acquired the assets of Harpers Environmental Services in 2012, earmarking it as a key location in the company’s plans to develop a major oily sludge treatment business across Teesside. The group, which has its headquarters in Fareham, has also acquired Wilton Waste Treatment, an established waste treatment and transfer business based on Teesside’s Wilton International industrial complex, as well as Middlesbrough-based waste oil recycling firm Recyc-Oil which operates mainly in the marine sector. The Middlesbrough facility has been remodelled and now includes a new oily sludge centrifuge, a tank farm consisting of 10 storage and processing tanks, a tanker washout facility and solids tipping bay. The operation complements the soluble oil and Recovered Fuel Oil treatments carried out by Recyc-Oil. CSG operations manager Jen Cartmell said the newly-updated facility would increase throughput and result in a cleaner effluent and ‘purer’ recovered oil collected in larger quantities. “The oil recovered will be of a much higher quality, and the volume of sludge for disposal will be reduced. CSG has now invested around £5million in the north east over the past five years in business acquisitions and new infrastructure, with significant further investment in the pipeline. The company’s ambition is to be a major player in the UK oil reclamation market which has been a priority growth sector for CSG in the past few years. The group manages similar facilities at Bristol, Plymouth, Aylesford, Southampton and Coventry and is now recovering millions of litres of oil each year. It recently completed construction of a huge new oil storage tank at its Cadishead hazardous waste treatment centre near Manchester.www.csg.co.uk

At over 300 ft tall, about as high as Big Ben, the chimney could be seen on a clear day from as far away as the Dartford Crossing.  A second, taller chimney (367 ft high) is being retained to create an iconic landmark that recognises the history of the site On the 3rd November, a chimney and two distillation columns were demolished at the former Coryton refinery.  The demolition clears land to make way for Thames Enterprise Park, a new 400 acre industrial site located on the river Thames next to London Gateway and Thames Oilport.