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.

In 2014, OFTEC helped secure a major win for the industry, challenging an EU standard which would have required oil heating appliances to meet NOx levels as low as 92mg/kWh by 2018. This level can only be achieved with a blue flame burner, such as this Riello RDB BLU, rather than the yellow flame burners currently in use Significant innovation means the oil heating industry should be ready to comply with the new lower NOx emission legislation on a range of appliances before the September 2018 deadline, says OFTEC.

As the FPS asks for ‘a raft of measures’ to help users of heating oil, the trade association has also called for the government to recognise the important service provided to the UK’s 1.25 million oil heating customers The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) has called on chancellor Philip Hammond to use his Autumn Statement later this month to recognise the off-grid sector and assist the 1.25m mainly rural homeowners who are using heating oil.

Rising from an average of 34.40ppl including VAT in September to 39.90ppl in October, UK heating oil prices have risen 16% –  the steepest increase since the winter of 2010.  Based on the UK average, this increase could see the cost of 1,000 litres rise to £399, an additional £55 since September.

Holding the award for best oil company initiative SB Prasad, chief commercial officer, retail is flanked by awards host Brian Conley (l) and Blake Gladman, research and insight director for Him! which sponsored this award With ‘a fresh approach to fuel retailing’ Essar Oil (UK), which owns and operates the Stanlow refinery, has taken the Forecourt Trader award which acknowledges initiatives undertaken by oil companies in the last twelve months to enhance their petrol retailing operations.

“The insourcing of our operations and maintenance services will increase our level of ownership and will allow us to deliver a more efficient service,” says commercial director Nacho Casajús On 1st November 2016 all staff at the company’s petroleum storage depots around the UK started working directly for CLH-PS with the common objective of guaranteeing safety excellence and reliability of operations.

Two of the oil industry’s largest oil monitoring suppliers – Dunraven Systems and Kingspan Environmental – have issued warnings over the danger of counterfeit products entering the UK and Irish markets. The warnings come after it was discovered that counterfeit products were being offered for sale both online and offline using both companies highly reputable brand names.

Last Friday (21st October) the UK Petroleum Industry Association published its latest report – Fuelling the UK’s Economic Engine. The report sets out the key priorities for the downstream oil sector for a new relationship with the European Union and for a meaningful industrial and energy strategy that works for the whole UK. The report outlines the challenges ahead for the sector and the potential policy solutions that will enable the creation of an environment where industry can deliver and thrive. “Essential to achieving a meaningful strategy for the future will be the creation of an environment where industry can deliver and thrive,” said Chris Hunt, director general of UKPIA.  “This involves getting the nation’s energy policy right, recognising the strategic value of the downstream oil sector, today and in years to come, and realising a secure energy future through a clear, stable and well-designed legal, fiscal and regulatory framework.”  Read the report at http://bit.ly/2ep9lQ4     

The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers has once again launched a campaign to encourage the 1.25m homeowners who use heating oil to be prepared for winter and order heating oil while prices are low.   It now costs just £750 per annum (pa) to heat a typical three-bedroom home with a condensing oil boiler according to the latest figures from Sutherland Tables, the independent provider of comparative home heating costs.  “Even with a conventional boiler, that’s nearly half the cost of the nearest alternative,” said Mark Askew, FPS chief executive. “If you use LPG the average per annum cost is £1386, electricity is £1600 and traditional gas heating £967. This means that an oil condensing boiler is also substantially cheaper to run than any renewable heating option – wood pellets cost £1339 and air source heat pump radiators £1453.” Now in its fourth year, the campaign, which is run in conjunction with the government, Citizens Advice Bureau and Action with Communities in Rural England, urges householders to check oil tanks and heating equipment before the weather turns colder and journeys can become more problematic. “Heating oil is the cheapest form of energy right now and has been since January 2015. FPS is keen for consumers to make the most of oil prices by buying before winter arrives and to plan for ways to reduce energy costs during the colder months,” added Mark. The campaign advices using an OFTEC registered technician to fix any problems as soon as possible. fpsonline.co.uk oilsave.org.uk oftec.org.uk