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   

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.

Now part of the Rix Petroleum Group, managing director Duncan Lambert beside a Stones Fuel Oils tanker A ‘much-loved family fuel company’ at Malton in North Yorkshire has been sold to Rix Petroleum.  Started by his father, Stones Fuel Oils has been owned and run by Geoff Stones for more than 50 years.  Now aged 74, Geoff has decided to retire. Geoff agreed to sell the business to Rix Petroleum because, as another local, family company, he was confident they would uphold the values which Stones Fuel Oils was built on. “I have run Stones Fuel Oils – initially with my father – for about fifty years now, and it seems the right time to step back and take life a little more steadily,” said Geoff. “After much thought, I have decided to sell the fuel oil side of the operation to Rix Petroleum, another family-owned and locally-based business. I am confident that they will maintain the high standard of customer service that we have aimed to give, and will offer competitive prices.” The move extends Rix Petroleum’s coverage further into North Yorkshire, enabling the company to service not just Malton and surrounding areas, but as far north as Whitby and west to Northallerton and Ripon. All Stones Fuel Oils staff, including tanker drivers and office workers, have been retained by Rix Petroleum, and another tanker is to be stationed at the depot, bringing the fleet to three. Duncan Lambert, managing director of Rix Petroleum, described Stones Fuel Oils as the ‘perfect fit’ for Rix as both businesses had much in common. “Stones Fuel Oils is a fantastic and well-run family business that has a very loyal customer base. It is a credit to Geoff and his father that it is held in such high regard. “Like Rix, Stones Fuel Oils has built its reputation on true family values of fairness and offering a quality, personal service. Those values form the core of Rix Petroleum too and we fully intend to honour them at our new Malton depot.”www.rix.co.uk

Shell Recharge enables most electric vehicles to be charged in approximately 30 minutes.Credit: Ed Robinson/Shell In October, Shell announced the launch of its first electric vehicle charging points at three UK forecourts based in London, Surrey and Derby. The Shell Recharge service enables most electric vehicles to be charged in approximately 30 minutes. By the end of the year, the service will be offered to a further seven locations within Greater London and Reading with the construction division of the Premier Group being responsible for the enabling works for the installation of Shell’s electrical vehicle (EV) charging service in the UK. The Swansea-based Premier Group has been appointed as civils contractor for eight of the 10 trial sites. The company will co-ordinate all of the enabling works from pre-start meetings to final sign off for the installation of new e-charger units at these sites. The scope of works for the sites includes trenching and ducting to enable the units to be powered, tarmac services, as well as decorative and white lining works. In addition to Shell, Premier Group’s construction division works with many other major national brands including Esso, Rontec, BP, MRH, Asda and Tesco. “This is an extremely exciting project to be a part of as we see electrical vehicle charging really take off thanks to the Shell Recharge service, said Steve Evans, managing director of the construction division of The Premier Group, “The UK has ambitions to develop one of the best electric vehicle charging networks in the world and our work with Shell is helping to contribute to this.”www.premiergroup.org.ukwww.shell.co.uk

Launched this week via Facebook – Gulf’s Big Christmas Giveaway has 100 items of Gulf branded merchandise on offer to lucky winners nationwide.  The initiative runs until the end of December Last month Certas Energy received the accolade of Gulf Oil Best Fuel Partner of the Year from Gulf Oil International at its annual conference in Dubai. The award recognises the work undertaken by Certas Energy to develop and grow its Gulf forecourt network in the UK. “I’m absolutely delighted that Gulf Retail has been recognised in this way,” said Certas Energy’s retail director, Ramsay MacDonald. “We continue to work hard to develop the Gulf brand in the UK and ensure that the Gulf proposition appeals to dealers of all sizes. The retail supply market is as competitive and challenging as we’ve ever seen it, with the oil majors now signing sites they would never have previously looked at and the super group dealers squeezing their own margins to drive volumes. “We’re working hard to differentiate our offer with the support of Gulf Oil International and build brand presence across the UK. Our most recent successes, three flagship sites in the north of England with a combined volume of 13 million litres, are now on stream and in full Gulf imagery. They demonstrate in no uncertain terms the strength of this historic forecourt brand, today and for the future.” “This award is so well deserved,” said Frank Rutten, vice president international of Gulf Oil International. “Certas Energy is achieving such great results in spite of the toughness and complexities of the market place. The UK team continues to invest in the Gulf brand and works tirelessly to provide UK dealers with a strong alternative to the traditional forecourt majors.” Gulf Oil International has fuel station representation in 25 countries across the world and sells lubricants in over 100 countries. Its ongoing investment to support the Gulf brand includes a global partnership with Manchester United.www.retail.gulfoil.co.uk

INEOS is to deliver the first ever US ethane from shale gas to China in 2019, using the world’s largest ethane carrier as part of a long-term supply agreement with China’s SP Chemicals.  The agreement includes construction of a new carrier ship, the largest ethane carrier ever built. “This is another world first for INEOS after importing shale gas to Europe in 2015,” said David Thompson, CEO of INEOS trading and shipping. “By bringing in US ethane from shale gas to China for the first time we are leading the way in shipping ethane worldwide to meet the demands of an expanding chemicals sector. “We’re excited to work with a client such as SP Chemicals and we look forward to delivering this historic project,” added David. In a £110 million investment project, INEOS now has two state of the art vessels to support its North Sea operations. “As natural gas continues to provide 84% of UK household heating, operations in the North Sea are of paramount importance and these two new vessels will provide essential operations support in the field,” said Mervyn Williams, supply chain manager INEOS Breagh. The ships, officially named Forties Sentinel and Sentinel Ranger, were built by Sentinel Marine. Among other news, last month INEOS acquired Lausanne-Sport, one of Switzerland’s most established football clubs, which is currently 6th in the Swiss super league. www.ineos.com

On their way south – the two new tankers When Simplytrac, a Kenya-based company, was looking for two new fuel bowsers they selected equipment from Tankquip and MechTronic.  Simplytrac, which is part of Jupiter Electrical and General Contractors of Nairobi, required the bowsers for the provision of fuel at the expanding port in Mombassa.  The vehicles not only incorporate all aspects of UK ADR and SLP best practice, they are also fitted with Mechtronic’s Visilevel and Stocksmart systems to help to combat issues of theft and tampering.   In addition to knowing where the vehicle is and how much fuel it contains, the company can ensure that product matches the required SG.   Simplytrac already manages fuel at the port and supplies to a number of larger road transport operators.   “We look forward to supplying further equipment to Simplytrac,” said Dave Stanley.  “Especially from our new partner Soteinpe, enabling them to expand their growing fuel management and wholesale fuel sales into the retail sector through Soteinpe’s Compact CIS system.”  www.tankquip.co.uk www.gruposoteinpe.es/en www.mechtronic.ltd.uk   

Pentons’ directors Stephen (centre) and Gary Penton (right) with Morris Lubricants’ managing director Andrew Goddard and the Volvo truck which will soon be starting a new life in Africa A Volvo truck bought 16 years ago by an Oswestry-based haulage company is still going strong after clocking up 1.5 million miles 

Addressing the question, how can businesses attract new talent into the freight and logistics sector?, this week (16-18 November) the Freight Transport Association (FTA) will have ‘a significant presence’ at the Skills Show at Birmingham’s NEC. More than 70,000 young people are expected to attend this free to attend event – the UK’s largest skills and careers event for young people. “For many young people, logistics is an unknown topic, and they are unfamiliar with the scope and scale of the careers opportunities which the sector provides,” says Sally Gilson, head of skills campaigning. “By attending The Skills Show, and demonstrating the breadth of roles which young people can aspire to in freight and logistics, we are confident that we will encourage the next generation of skilled workers to keep our industry buoyant in years to come.” Currently (Nov 2017), the sector needs 52,000 LGV drivers across the country and FTA members report difficulties in recruiting skilled technicians. FTA will be working in partnership with Think Logistics, CILT, Novus Trust, Manpower, Volvo and DHL. “Logistics is changing, technology is now at the forefront of the sector,” continued Ms Gilson. “There are jobs to be investigated across all modes of FTA’s membership, ranging from drivers and engineers through to warehouse designers, project management and operations directors – and many more besides. Logistics is the sector keeping Britain trading.” www.theskillsshow.com

Isuzu – making it as easy as possible for customers to find the right truck Isuzu Truck UK has a brand-new website.  Designed to help customers identify the optimum vehicle selection, the website illustrates all the different Isuzu trucks available, by weight, by body and by industry, with each GVW type having its own product page.  Visitors to www.isuzutruck.co.uk  can either scroll through the key facts about the individual vehicle specification or they can download individual spec sheets for more detailed information.  The website redesign makes it as easy as possible for customers to find the product or service information they’re looking for,” said managing director, Pete Murphy.   We’ve focused on creating as much valuable new content as possible, which takes the form of downloadable industry guides, blog posts and other interesting documents that cover the key topics affecting both our retail and fleet customers.”  The company’s unique and award-winning CARE programme also features prominently throughout the website and is a key part of the Isuzu offering for customers, new and old. At the same time, the site provides a new dealer locator tool which makes it far easier to identify local Isuzu Truck sales, service and parts dealer support.  Featured in the website there are sections covering key points within the Isuzu global and UK history as well as showcasing the outstanding technical innovation and expertise that drives the Isuzu R&D and vehicle development programmes. www.isuzu.co.uk   

Please join us to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Fuel Oil News

David Blevings (far left) at the recent IPRA retail fuel show held in Dublin The Irish Petrol Retailers Association (IPRA) has welcomed the finance minister’s decision to hold fuel excise rates at their current level. The IPRA started a petition against an alleged proposed to increase diesel duty to the same rate as petrol and in just four weeks has received over 8,000 signatures from consumers. “Our retail members had serious concerns that a further increase in duty would severely hamper the economic recovery,” said media spokesperson, David Blevings. “We wrote to the finance minister urging caution in this matter and we suggested that the excise rates should not be equalled as it would be detrimental for the Irish economy, rural transport and non-city dwellers alike. “We’re delighted with the news that excise levels are to remain at current levels and this coupled with relatively stable oil prices is good news for both consumers and retailers alike. “This excise freeze will further aid the recovery and will be welcomed by all,” added David.www.ipra.ie