News 37
Essar Oil (UK) Limited, which owns and operates the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, announces the further strengthening of its executive leadership team with the appointment of Stephen McCaffrey as chief financial officer.
Stephen is highly experienced in the Oil and Gas, Renewables and Infrastructure sectors and has specialist expertise in financial control, business development, strategic planning and working capital and project finance management and implementation. Having spent 13 years at Greenergy, the last four as chief financial officer, he has a detailed understanding of the UK downstream industry.
Most recently CFO at Avenir LNG Limited, he has also previously held roles with the BOC Group, Merrill Lynch and PWC. He holds a degree in business (accounting and finance) and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia.
Essar chief executive officer, Stein Bye, said: “This is an important and strategic appointment for the company, with Stephen bringing with him a wealth of experience at the very highest level. The year ahead will be key to our long term sustainability as we look to recover from the effects of Covid-19 and transform our business to meet the demands of a low carbon economy and deliver the energy solutions of the future for the UK.”
The Hoyer Group has adopted a new organisational structure to equip itself for the energy transition. As of 1 January 2021, the logistics company combined its Petrolog and Gaslog business units under one roof. Known as the ‘Contract Division’, it unifies contract logistics for gas and mineral oil supplies. Combining the highly specialised areas will develop synergies, especially at the organisational structural level. The newly-established business unit has about 1,500 special trucks and the expertise of around 3,500 employees at its disposal.
The strategic decision to organisationally combine the former Petrolog and Gaslog business units positions the Hoyer Group favourably in the market. As well as bitumen logistics and aircraft refuelling, the mineral oil business focuses particularly on supplying service stations, airports and commercial customers. In this business area, Hoyer sees a growing future demand in the supply of gases such as liquified natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen as alternative fuels. The combined strengths of the two business areas will be fully brought to bear in the newly-created Contract Division.
Developed in partnership with port operator Associated British Ports (ABP), the new refuelling bunker site is the first of its kind to be opened inside the port. It features an offset tank layout with a combined capacity of 250,000 litres and eight high-speed refuelling pumps, which dispense fuel at speeds up to 120 litres per minute.
Bristol-based fleet management company, Silvey Fleet, has been awarded the ‘We Invest in People’ Gold accreditation. Having applied after the first lockdown, with most employees working from home because of the pandemic, it is a remarkable achievement which is made even more so by the fact that only 17% of organisations achieve Gold status.
Providing Excellent Customer Service
Silvey Fleet is one of the UK’s top fleet management solution providers and an integral part of the company’s commitment to delivering the highest quality customer service is investing in its people and their development. The company believes that happy and motivated employees are essential to drive business forward.
In its feedback, Investors in People reported: “You have provided effective people management and development in order to achieve high levels of engagement, trust and transparency, which has in turn delivered higher levels of performance overall and enabled you to drive your vision and mission forward.”
Silvey Fleet’s managing director, Miriam James, commented:
“We offer our staff a selection of development programmes, regular one-to-ones, leadership coaching, rewards and benefits, which has resulted in them declaring Silvey Fleet “a great place to work”. It was felt our response to the COVID-19 pandemic served to raise morale during a challenging time for both our people and the business.”
Growing and Evolving
“There is a strong culture of continuous improvement at Silvey Fleet – as a service provider, we are constantly seeking to improve the ways we work with, and what we deliver to, our customers. Change is viewed as ‘the norm’, allowing the business to grow and continue to develop the fleet management solutions we offer.
“The Investors in People report shows evidence of our people working together to develop ideas that have positive outcomes for the business. This includes the updates to our Miles Monitor fleet management app.
One survey respondent commented: “Participation and collaboration are viewed as embedded practices at Silvey Fleet. We all work together and can challenge the status quo. This enables individuals and teams to make decisions that will benefit the organization and the customers we serve.”
Investing in a better future
Looking ahead Miriam continued:
“Only 17% of organisations ever achieve the Gold status so we are thrilled that our surveyed staff recognise the investment we make in our people and feel that Silvey Fleet is “the best place they have ever worked”. In the coming months, we are committed to responding to those areas identified as providing opportunity for further improvement and supporting the development of our people and their careers, involving them in key decisions and rewarding them for the excellent work they do. We are also dedicated to acting on their feedback.
“Investors in People believes that the success of an organisation begins and ends with people. We firmly share this belief and it is encouraging to hear how supported our people feel, especially as we have embarked on this journey in the midst of a pandemic.
This accreditation is just the beginning and we are both excited and dedicated to the further development of all areas of our business, making Silvey Fleet a great place to work for our people and the supplier of choice for the many businesses we support. We know that putting our people first and living our core values will build an even better business for 2021 and beyond and we are proud to join the investors in people community of 15,000 organisations across 75 countries. to make work better!”
Annual off grid energy sector event UKIFDA EXPO, is returning to the award-winning Liverpool Exhibition Centre on 19th and 20th May 2021, and organisers, UKIFDA, want the event to help drive vital business connections and its future liquid fuels objectives whilst supporting recovery efforts following COVID-19.
As well as over 100 exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations in the liquid fuels industry there will be a wide range of seminars on important topics including sustainable energy in domestic heating, decarbonisation, and the future of liquid biofuels, across the two days.
Guy Pulham, UKIFDA chief executive, says:
“We’re excited about 2021 and hosting UKIFDA EXPO again after the disappointment of cancelling this year. We believe in 2021 there will be a re-emergence of businesses and customers looking to connect, face to face in a way they have been unable to in 2020. Exhibitions such as UKIFDA EXPO offer the ideal space and opportunity to do just that. We have a fantastic line-up of exhibitors booked already and feel the diversity of both the exhibitors and seminar topics planned reflects our exhibition’s appeal to everyone in and associated with the sector.
“At a time when the liquid fuels industry and the business landscape are rapidly changing, we look forward to providing a safe environment where the industry can connect, kick-start business, and drive growth. It is our hope that both the discussions and the partnerships made at the event are going to have a long-term impact on the outlook of both the UK and Republic of Ireland liquid fuels distribution industry.
“UKIFDA EXPO 2021 marks a new era for the liquid fuels industry and the exhibition will be reflective of the changing nature of our industry, something we are all very motivated by and enthusiastic about.”
This year’s 40th anniversary exhibition has already attracted a wide array of exhibitors. Alongside the longstanding exhibitors Computer Design Services, Meller Flow Trans ltd, Dreamtec, Magyar & Cobo Tanker Services will be first-time exhibitors Nursan Trailers and HomeFuels Direct and an impressive line-up of speakers, all showcasing the industry’s hard work with regard to meeting the Government’s decarbonisation targets through the introduction of liquid biofuels.
The exhibition opens on Wednesday 19th May and the first day will once again see the popular President’s Awards event with our newly elected President Janet Kettlewell of Kettlewell Fuels. This is a key part of UKIFDA EXPO and show organiser UKIFDA’s opportunity to reward those in the industry who have gone the extra mile in the past year. Awards will be given for the best driver, depot, and best stand at the exhibition, and there will also be an environmental award.
Dawn Shakespeare, membership and events manager for UKIFDA, and organiser of the exhibition, comments: “Every year, our exhibition appeals widely across the industry, attracting owners of fuel distributors, depot managers, and personnel within HR, IT, finance and marketing, all operating across the manufacturing, distribution, supply, and technology sectors of the industry in the UK and across Europe – and this year will be no exception. In fact, we both exhibitors and visitors to the exhibition say they are really looking forward to being able to do business face to face in a COVID safe environment rather than virtually.
For more information on UKIFDA EXPO 2021 or to book your exhibition space, you can contact Dawn Shakespeare by email ds@ukifda.org or alternatively visit the show website https://ukifda.org/ukifda-expo/.
A busy year at FAST culminated in two of its staff being recognised in The Manufacturer magazine’s Top 100 awards. The ceremony was, unusually, held by video this year but this did not detract from the pride the company felt at seeing two key members of the team recognised for their individual contributions.
Automotive charity, Ben, received pledges worth around £0.5m following its recent rallying cry to industry leaders.
Companies got creative with ideas such as donating Christmas party funds, ‘Charity of the month’ schemes and donations linked to survey responses or sales/profit to help address the £1m shortfall they faced due to the cancelation of their annual fundraising ball.
Automotive companies are pledging to do three things for Ben:
Top 50 Indies forecourt operator, Motor Fuel Group (MFG) has acquired six forecourts in the Lake District from AUK Investments Limited.
Energy industry professional Ken Cronin is to become the new chief executive of UKIFDA replacing current CEO Guy Pulham who leaves on February 4th 2021.
As COVID-19 has stopped the APEA from being able to host its annual ‘APEA Live’ national exhibitions and conference, as well as their regular regional brand meetings, a new and exciting event will be held via a free zoom webinar.
The free webinar is taking place on Thursday 3rd December and is open to members and non-members alike.
Taking place between 14:00 – 16:00 GMT, the webinar topics include:
Regulator Update – Clare Scawthorne, London Fire Brigade
This will include the outcome of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 review, what this means for enforcing authorities and new guidance in place.
Standards Update – Jamie Thompson, Chairman of the APEA Technical Committee
A short presentation and it will cover standards update, with info on Brexit and what it means regarding regs and CE markings.
HVO Fuel – Simon Lawford, Crown Oils
This session will ask the questions – ‘What exactly is HVO?’, ‘Why should it play an important part of the future fuel mix?’ and ‘Can it actually be greener than battery-electric power when it comes to total CO2 emissions?’
This session will explain all about this new green direct diesel substitute and why the government is being lobbied to introduce incentives for its use.
HVO – Challenges in the Swedish market – regulations, policies and technical issues – Magdalena Streijffert, & Quentin Gauthie, Neste Sweden
This talk will cover some of the challenges with regulatory matters and policy, along with technical issues regarding tanks, preparations of etc.
Petrol dispensing vs Diesel dispensing – Andrew Olive, Pumptronics
This session will cover iDiesel & petrol hazardous zones, hybrid commercial vehicles, stage 2 vapour recovery principle and requirements, typical application on a commercial refuelling installation. This will then lead onto the Vectec presentation by Bert Fowler discussing a recent commercial installation for a major home delivery network
EV Battery Fires – Lessons learned from around the globe – Dylan Evans, London Fire Brigade
This session will cover electric vehicles, fire safety considerations for lithium ion battery vehicles & infrastructure.
Find out more about this event here.
Renee Semiz will assume the position of managing director, UK marketing, Phillips 66 Limited in January 2021. Renee relocates to the UK from Phillips 66’s Houston office in the USA and takes over from Mary Wolf who, following a smooth transition period, will relocate to the Houston office and assume the role of general manager, global specialties.
Having joined the business in 1998, Renee has an extensive and diverse background across refining, process engineering, commercial commodities, optimisation and marketing. She has held various roles in Phillips 66, most recently as manager, brand U.S. marketing. In this role she was responsible for leading the rebranding of service stations, advertising and programs for Phillips 66’s large network in the United States. Renee has also spent time working internationally in China, India, Turkey, Lithuania and Germany in her early career.
Mary Wolf, currently managing director UK marketing at Phillips 66 Limited, comments:
“I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Renee to the UK marketing family. She brings a great deal of experience and enthusiasm to the team, and I’m sure she will lead the business to new heights. We have a great UK team and incredible, wonderful customers that it has been my privilege to serve. I would like to sincerely and deeply thank everyone for their business and friendship over the last five years. I will dearly miss you all.”
Renee Semiz, currently manager, brand U.S. marketing:
“I am looking forward to joining the UK business and building on the strong working relationships that Mary established with our customers. Mary and her team have done a fantastic job transforming the UK business and I’m looking forward to continuing our strategic initiatives. I wish Mary continued successes as she transitions into her new role in Houston.”
North Yorkshire-based Kettlewell Fuels has added two new tankers and a ‘Tank in a Van’ to its fleet, creating greater capacity and even more flexibility when it comes to delivering across the region – even the remotest parts.
Based in Ripon, Kettlewell Fuels has taken delivery of two DAF four-wheel tankers that have been specified to meet the company’s requirements. Both tankers have a larger capacity and are able to take 9,300 litres compared with the company’s other four-wheelers.
The new tankers also have a much more efficient pumping system, making the whole delivery process even smoother.
Always looking to develop the business, Janet Kettlewell explains:
“The two new DAF tankers will deliver market-leading efficiency for us as a business, giving us even more flexibility within our already versatile fleet.
“We also like to ensure our drivers are looked after in terms of comfort. I’m pleased to say we’ve had some great feedback from them – apparently the new tankers are comfortable and nice to drive too.
Commenting on the other addition to the fleet, Janet says:
“It’s important to us that we offer an agile customer service and to help us do this we’ve adapted a vehicle to hold a 400-litre oil dispensing tank. Known as our ‘Tank in a Van’, this vehicle will enable us to make small emergency deliveries and quickly respond to customers in need.
“We’re now in a very good position going into winter, as our expanded fleet will provide us with greater delivery capacity. We’ve noticed recently that more customers are choosing to support local businesses; it’s been a busy time. Our larger fleet will definitely help when the inevitable cold snap arrives.”
Kettlewell Fuels is North Yorkshire’s trusted independent fuel oil supplier to the domestic, agricultural and commercial sectors and is a member of the UK & Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA).
Holly Needham, granddaughter of Jim Callow, founder of Stourport-based Callow Oils, has decided to celebrate her 21st birthday by giving back to Parkinson’s UK, a charity which is very close to the heart of the family.
Mitchell & Webber has renewed its fleet tyre partnership with Prometeon Tyre Group UK for another 12 months. Operating for 120 years across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, Mitchell & Webber is one of the South West’s longest established distributors of home heating oil, commercial, agricultural and marine fuels, as well as lubricants and industrial services.
The extension of the initial contract, signed between Mitchell & Webber and Prometeon in March 2018, covers the supply of tyres for all vehicles in the Mitchell & Webber fleet, including more than 50 trucks and trailers. Pirelli Triathlon tyres are specified on the bulk of the fleet delivering high mileage and low fuel consumption. Prometeon’s G:01 range, for mixed-use vehicles operating on roads, construction sites, and under aggressive tread-wear conditions, are specified where required.
Darren Heywood, fleet business development manager for Prometeon, said:
“Initially, when we began working with Mitchell & Webber, our Pirelli Triathlon range was put under test as a direct comparison against their incumbent tyre policy. We monitored tyre performance and also carried out a detailed weighing exercise to enable us to provide accurate tyre pressure recommendations based on specific vehicle loads to ensure the full benefits of running a premium tyre policy were being secured.
“After 2.5 years of working together, we were delighted that Mitchell & Webber confirmed that they were extremely satisfied with the total cost of ownership achieved, and that we had delivered substantial savings on their operational costs with no detrimental impact on performance. This led to the signing of the contract extension, and an updated agreement to include our Pro Management system, which provides a holistic solution for fleet tyre management.”
Prometeon’s Pro Management portal offers the customer flexible invoicing, centralised or by worksheet, instant live access to information on the customer’s fleet, and live spend information by status or period, with fixed pricing on tyres and tyre-related services working to a mutually agreed service level agreement.
Leon Gilbert, Mitchell & Webber fleet compliance manager, said:
“As our business has continued to grow, we recognised that we didn’t have a good picture of our tyre-related costs or a sufficiently robust system for managing our tyres across our depots and our vehicle fleet.
“Following the trial and specification of Triathlon and G:01 tyres from Prometeon, we’ve been extremely pleased with the cost savings achieved and the improvements in tyre management that have been put in place. Tyre renewals are now managed in a proactive way, which increases vehicle uptime and reduces costs. For unplanned repairs, we now need to contact just one phone number and Prometeon arranges the required repair action.
“The inclusion of the Pro Management system in the latest agreement signed with Prometeon will provide even greater visibility on our tyre-related costs, and our approach to better managing our tyres across our fleet, with one holistic system.”
In a historically male-dominated industry, we are delighted to be featuring some very successful women in the December issue of Fuel Oil News. We are equally pleased to report that gender diversity in this sector is on the rise.
A recent review of FTSE 100 companies by Debut has found that oil and gas producers are ranked 2nd in the top five most diverse FTSE 100 sectors in the UK, just pipped to the post by the construction and materials sector.
The review also found improvements in terms of gender diversity generally on the boards of the FTSE 100 companies, with women taking 36% of current board roles. Although this hits the diversity target recommended by the Government five years ago, it is still a way away from a 50/50 split, which is achieved by just nine of the 100 companies.
Royal Dutch Shell is one of these nine companies and the oil and gas sector, as a whole, is close to the target, with 54% male board members and 46% female board members.
New initiatives
It was recently announced that OGUK has launched a first-of-its-kind survey that will deliver a baseline for diversity and inclusion (D&I) demographic and sentiment within the sector. Whilst this doesn’t only include gender, it is definitely a step in the right direction for a more diverse industry.
OGUK chief executive, Deirdre Michie, said:
“I am delighted to announce the launch of our industry-wide survey on diversity and inclusion. D&I is critical to our efforts in delivering Roadmap 2035 – by fostering a diverse and inclusive working culture, we will secure and retain new talent, bring new perspectives and ideas to the fore and, ultimately, expand supply chain opportunities whilst continuing to contribute to the UK’s vital security of energy supply.”
Further to this, StocExpo, the world’s leading bulk liquid storage event has announced that the focal point for the 2021 event in Antwerp will be ‘Women in Tanks’ to highlight the women working in the tank storage sector.
Rikki Bhachu, StocExpo senior marketing manager, says:
“This new addition to StocExpo will be packed with the most inspiring women in the industry, where every story and experience, every new initiative and talk is relevant and every piece of advice another crack in the glass ceiling.”
We look forward to seeing where these new initiatives lead, and to reporting further on diversity in the industry in Fuel Oil News in print and online. What is your opinion on, or experience of, diversity in the sector? Let us know your thoughts.
UM Terminals’ Client Central Services team can provide customers with a wealth of important information including real-time data to make critical business decisions.
Based out of its Regent Road Terminal in Liverpool, the new service integrates all weighbridge and administration from across UM’s 8 terminals.
A dedicated portal gives clients instant access to essential weighbridge documentation and current stock levels for each tank. They also have a secure log-in and can access their data 24/7, 365 days a year via a desktop, tablet or mobile device.
Lynn McCoy, UM Terminals’ Client Central Services manager, said: “We looked at all of the administration going on across our UK sites and started to think about how we could streamline and bring it all together.
“The key was not just about centralising the service but ensuring that we maintained the same quality of personal service that customers were used to.
“Our weighbridge in particular had previously depended upon a lot of manual reporting, but which has now been moved online. Whereas before, there would have been lots of paper trails, we have now moved to a paperless solution in which information is stored electronically. The upshot is clearer, more accurate and faster information.”
The central control room at the Regent Road Terminal is filled with banks of screens giving Lynn and her team visibility of the different weighbridges along with immediate access to all customer information, such as current stock levels, via the client portal.
Lynn said: “We are one important link in the supply chain. Our job is to look after our customers’ products and their movement in and out of our terminals.
“Sometimes we don’t know until the last minute when they are going to be coming in. Operational planning and flexibility are key in a fast-moving environment like UM Terminals. At terminals like Portbury in Bristol and Gladstone in Birkenhead we can regularly be handling over 40 vehicles a day.”
Bryan Davies, managing director of UM Terminals, said: “We want to add value to the service we provide our clients and we believe the Client Central Services function has been a game-changer in providing customers with real-time data when they need it to assist their decision-making.
Lynn added: “While we have had a really positive response from customers to the centralised service, we know there is even more potential in the future to develop the client portal and the kind of reporting we can offer our customers. Ultimately, our job is to listen to and meet the needs of our clients.”
UM Terminals currently has a capacity of over 300,000 cubic metres of bulk liquid storage across 280 tanks of varying sizes. The plan is to grow this to over 400,000 cubic metres.
Product solutions include vegetable oils, industrial, food and feed, chemical, fertiliser, fuels, biofuels and base oils.
Services include blowing, blending, heating, processing and sampling among others.
The company, which employs 63 people, recently rebranded from UM Storage to UM Terminals to better reflect the range of services the company offers its clients. It is part of the UM Group which has a distinguished history stretching back almost 100 years.
Christmas has arrived a month early for Hope House children’s hospices thanks to a £2,000 donation from two Shropshire businesses.
Ben, the charity dedicated to supporting the people of the automotive industry, is making an urgent ‘rallying cry’ in a letter to industry leaders as it faces a 50% increase in demand for services against a £1m income shortfall, following the cancellation of fundraising events including Ben Ball. Without additional funding, Ben may be forced to make difficult decisions about which cases to support.
Working together to deliver a decarbonised, net zero future will form the theme and direction for SPE Offshore Europe 2021 being held in Aberdeen, Scotland, 7-10 September 2021.
The shortlist for this year’s prestigious OGUK Awards has been revealed today. The annual awards ceremony celebrates the brightest and best talent from across the country’s offshore oil and gas industry and finalists represent the hard work, innovation, and collaboration the industry has adopted throughout 2020.
The UK could see more than £3 billion invested in the emerging hydrogen sector as more businesses step forward to pledge funding – but only if PM Boris Johnson backs the low-carbon fuel in his forthcoming Net Zero speech expected this week.
Members of Hydrogen Strategy Now, which combined employs around 100,000 people and has a value of £100bn in the UK, said their shovel-ready projects would create thousands of jobs across the country, helping to kick start a post-Covid green recovery.
The group has welcomed the recent appointment of Andrew Griffith, MP for Arundel and the South Downs, as the Government’s Net Zero Business Tsar, as a positive step in the right direction from Parliament. But its members have warned that unless the sector receives load and clear backing from the Government, the UK risks being left behind the rest of the globe.
Attracting cross-party support, the Hydrogen Strategy Now collective wants to see a clear, strategic plan to help unlock significant private funding in hydrogen technologies and manufacturing across the country, driving growth and generating hundreds of thousands of green jobs.
A letter from the group to Chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier this year stated;
“As you look to design a post-COVID recovery, we encourage you to focus on creating high-skilled, green jobs, in sectors that will be critical to the future economy, such as low-carbon energy, transport and heavy industry.
“These measures would be wholly complimentary to the Government’s levelling-up agenda and long-term decarbonisation goals. For example, the Committee for Climate Change has made it clear that the UK will not meet its Net Zero targets without significant investment in the hydrogen economy.
“The global hydrogen economy is estimated to be worth $2.5 trillion by 2050, supporting 30 million jobs. Other nations, such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and China have already set ambitious strategies for growing their hydrogen economies. Just last week, Germany joined this list with their own €9 billion hydrogen strategy. The European Commission is also creating an EU hydrogen strategy, which includes plans for multi-billion euro investment in hydrogen projects, and schemes to boost sales of hydrogen electric vehicles.
“It is now clear that hydrogen is going to play an essential role in the world’s future, low-carbon economy. The increasingly bold steps being taken by other nations underlines the need for the UK to bring forward urgent measures to establish a hydrogen strategy and unlock investment and innovation. We should not risk falling behind other nations in developing our hydrogen industry.”
Baroness Brown, vice-chair of the influential Committee on Climate Change, said;
“The UK missed the boat on wind technology and missed the boat on batteries. We can’t afford to miss the boat on hydrogen.
“I strongly agree that the UK urgently needs a hydrogen strategy, as there are too many small, piecemeal funds and projects. We need some serious private and public funding, and a coordinated effort between government and industry, to kickstart and grow a green-job-creating hydrogen economy across the country”.
Petroineos has announced its proposal to reconfigure the Grangemouth refinery to meet the current and future anticipated demand for its fuels products. The reconfiguration will impact on the 637 current full-time roles at Grangemouth but is anticipated to retain 450 highly skilled roles at the site.
The global refining industry is facing huge challenges as increasing electrification of the transport fleet and more fuel-efficient vehicles leads to reduced demand for fuel, a trend that has been accelerated this year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To address this, Petroineos proposes a realignment of its refining capacity at Grangemouth in line with current and anticipated future demand for fuel in Scotland, the North of England and Northern Ireland. The proposal to keep the two production plants, Crude Distillation Unit 1 and the Fluidised Catalytic Cracker Unit (FCCU) in a mothballed state will reduce future incurred costs associated with operating these two older plants.
With these changes, Petroineos believes it can have a viable longer-term business, employing up to 450 highly skilled jobs.
Franck Demay, CEO Petroineos Refining, says;
“As a national critical infrastructure it is vital we retain a productive capacity of fuels in Scotland. For almost a century the Grangemouth refinery has reliably produced high quality fuels for the domestic market and for export. We firmly believe that only by taking action now will we preserve one of Scotland’s last large manufacturing sites and a significant contributor to the Scottish economy.”
Petroineos is entering into a statutory consultation period with its workforce and their representatives to discuss its proposals.
Mabanaft, one of the UK’s largest independent fuel importers and wholesalers, has just released the results of its 2020 customer survey.
Martin Cook, managing director, says of this year’s survey results:
“Despite the challenging circumstances of 2020, Mabanaft is delighted to have delivered a reliable supply of fuel and provided what our customers deem to be an excellent service throughout.”
View highlights of the results here. Detailed analysis of the survey results will appear in the December Issue of FON.
Autogas UK, a joint venture between Shell and LPG supplier Calor, saw more than 250 Shell sites supplying Autogas in the UK, at its peak. More recently, the Autogas UK website has closed down, now directing anyone seeking alternative supply to the independent fillLPG website.
A statement released by Autogas said;
“Following a business review by the Autogas board, the difficult decision has been taken to end the joint venture and to decommission its LPG refuelling network.
“Autogas is a joint venture between Shell and Calor and, although drivers of LPG vehicles will no longer be able to refuel at Autogas sites at Shell service stations, there remains a large network of LPG sites across the UK, with infrastructure available to support LPG drivers.”
Calor will continue to supply LPG at more than 1,000 sites across the country, and according to fillLPG there is a total 1,907 stations still in operation throughout the UK and Ireland.
An Autogas spokesman explained that there were a number of factors at play in the decision to exit the UK market;
“Customer demand for LPG for domestic transportation has declined due to changing customer preferences and the increasing availability of other lower-carbon fuels. Many of our Autogas sites are therefore increasingly under-utilised, which is why the LPG offering is being phased out.
“The current Autogas refuelling network was installed around 20 years ago and, as such, significant investment would be required to maintain the long-term safe and compliant operation of these facilities.”
Shell, out of all the major oil companies, has been the one with the widest range of alternative fuel options, investing in pilots for hydrogen as well as expanding its electric charging service and providing Autogas. It is also working on GTL (gas to liquid).