The Bulletin Magazine - September 2008

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The Bulletin

Journal of the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration

50th Anniversary 1958 - 2008

September 2008

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Editorial

Contents Regulars

Brian Baker

Chairman’s Report

4

Editor’s Report

4

New APEA Members

5

Business Manager’s Report

7

Editor 52 Milton Grove

News Press Releases

8 24

Bletchley Milton Keynes MK3 5BH tel:

+44 (0) 1908 252332

fax:

+44 (0) 1908 252319

mob:

+44 (0) 7932 785166

e-mail: brian.baker@miltonkeynes.gov.uk Articles APEA 2008 Conference, Exhibition and Awards Dinner

31

History of Petrol Stations - Part 7

37

Publishing Chairman

Testing of Fireworks by Suffolk Trading Standards

43

70 Wangford Road

Interview with Ray from King Tanktechnic

44

Abbreviated Accounts for year ended December 2007

46

Suffolk

From a Tank Manufacturers Perspective!

49

IP18 6NX

What is SELCOG?

51

SELCOG - Consistency in Policy

52

Mobile: +44 (0) 7770 625851

Training in Oman

54

email:

Short History of Petrol Retailing

58

British Fireworks Association Profile

65

BEN and the APEA

65

Evolution not Revolution

66

APEA and British Fireworks Association

67

Jamie Thompson

Reydon Southwold

Tel/fax: +44 (0) 1502 722999

jamiethompson@ukonline.co.uk

Jane Mardell Business Manager (including Bulletin Advertising and Production) PO Box 106 Saffron Walden

Branches Branch reports

Essex CB11 3XT 69

United Kingdom Tel/fax: +44 (0) 845 603 5507

Training 2008 course dates and booking details

Mobile: +44 (0) 7815 055514 78

email:

admin@apea.org.uk

Front Cover - Sole petrol filling station in the Ascension Islands, probably the world's most remotest site, courtesy of Tony Wincott of Bovis Lend Lease

Published by the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration A company Limited by Guarantee registered in England No. 2261600 Opinions expressed in this Journal are not necessarily the views of the Association.

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Chairman’s Report The Association’s AGM is being held, as has been the case for the last two years, during our annual conference exhibition event in October. As I shall be relinquishing the Chairman’s role at that time, then this is my 8th and last report. As a parting request I would appreciate reading any and all readers comments on the Association, its direction, its value to members, branch activity, the website, or even the fact that you have read the chairmans report to the end. Please email me at bobconlin@fairbanks.co.uk 2008 Awards , better than ever With four weeks to the closing deadline, the signs are that the Industry Awards competition will be more popular than ever. With six different categories there should be at least one category which applies to you or your work team, so please do spend some time considering an application. In terms of advancements and innovation within our industry a significant contribution can be attributed to individuals and small enterprises who operate without the support infrastructure of a large organisation.

For this reason the APEA has established a new award for 2008 to recognise such people and I particularly look forward to celebrating the excellent work done within this sector.

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Your Association’s members need you To maintain a steady flow of new ideas, to maintain the balance between regulators, retailers and product and service providers and to continue to inject an energy and forward looking approach into our Association we will always benefit from a healthy turnover of representatives both at national level and branch level. I personally found my involvement in running the NW branch for many years an excellent grounding in the Association’s business and activities and would suggest this as a good route for those of you considering volunteering your services. This is not however the only route and we would look forward to seeing several new members on national council, whether you have served on branch or not.

Footnote …. literally One of the achievements of the Association in its 50th year was to reestablish the annual conference and exhibition and dinner for that matter as a major event in the petrol retailing calendar. As I have been reflecting on personal goals within the same time frame I decided earlier this year to undertake a trek to Kilimanjaro to raise money for Charity. Why Kilimanjaro?, well its high enough to be a significant challenge, Tanzania will be a fascinating place to visit and the trip will provide the right incentive for me to raise lots of money for my chosen

charity which is the Alzheimer’s Society.

My dad has the condition, which is distressing enough to see, but at the moment my mum is the real sufferer and this charity works for both those with the condition as well as the carers.

Fortunately my company Fairbanks has kindly sponsored me for the full cost of the trip so every £ that I raise will go straight to the charity. If you would like to sponsor my endeavour then an easy way is via http://www.justgiving.com/bobconlin

Editor’s Report The last time I wrote this regular column, I raised the fact that increasing fuel prices were becoming a concern.

Three months on and in all parts of the world, rising energy costs are feeding through to each country’s economy reminding us that the commodity known as oil is not something we cannot be careless with.

What does come to the fore is the immediate future and the rising trend of site closures, the uncertainty that times like these bring and when we look around for the solution or indeed the alternative – where are they?

We have seen numerous reports on alternative energies in the pages of this 4

Journal only to see so much good work placed on the “back-burner” until someone else makes the big financial step of investment to get the initiatives rolling across the land.

Take hydrogen for example, arguably the most efficient fuel we could have and we see very little activity taking place for it to evolve to make it readily available. Does the motor car industry make the vehicles first or do the energy producers make the fuel – that is the paradox.

We entered the summer with my own Eastern Branch putting on a splendid meeting in June with a good turnout. I will leave you the members to learn

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

about what we have achieved at Branch so far this year but for me and many of the “older hands” we saw Brian Taylor at the Eastern Branch Meeting, the first

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New APEA Members time for six years and that was great to see him and his lovely lady Eileen.

Again we have ventured out of the UK for more training and this time our travels took us to Oman and in particular to provide assistance to Shell.

A brief report is elsewhere in the issue but more and more do I see the Association’s “Blue Book” gain importance to both existing and developing countries as there is nothing quite like this guidance in a single volume and while there are differences across the world, we all generally talk the same language.

We are also launching a new one day course – Petrol Filling Stations – Enforcement Procedures – An Awareness. With so much uncertainty nowadays as to what and to whom law in our downstream market is applied.

This will be on immense benefit for the local petroleum licensing authorities as well as companies and those involved in auditing and inspection work. It cannot turn members into lawyers in a day but those attending will not only understand the practical application of enforcement but know their way around our legal system and the correct procedures to apply and under what circumstances. Definitely a must for

APEA New Members Detailed below are new members that have recently joined the APEA during April, May and June 2008.

April Jim King Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland 83 Ladas Drive Belfast BT6 9FR

petroleum inspectors, as indeed all our courses that are so well received which does give us a lift to know we are making a difference.

So when the 3rd Edition of the “Blue Book” is to be published, I hope we keep this in mind because the process will be starting in early 2009 with key individuals who lead their fields in technical expertise will be appointed to carry out the review task of every section. It will be interesting to see exactly what is new this time.

Now to our centre piece event – APEA 2008 – and I have to say I am looking forward to it this year as it is a special occasion so my activity is looking at making our exhibition stand one of interest where we can go down memory lane and remember us older ones where we started in our careers as well showing the newer members where we came from, as in Part 7 of this issue’s History article will testify.

There are an increase in the awards and I am hearing through the grapevine that there a high number of entries this year so if you want to be at the APEA’s very own Oscars make sure you come along. Attendance details are again elsewhere advertised in this issue.

One other thing is that our conference organisers, Downstream Events are flat out at the moment to make it a special day and evening for us all. They are very good at what they do and since we have collaborated with them, the whole event has increased in status to reflect just what we, the APEA, are all about.

So to Emma, Fiona, and the gang I say thanks again for all your hard work.

I appreciate Jane’s help with the Bulletin and indeed the whole range of APEA activity she has a hand in. I just could not do this role without her dependable support and skills in getting a decent Journal out the door every three months.

Also look out for the postman for our new corporate tie will soon be on its way and for you Ladies, there is a nice surprise to come as well.

Now let me see, the tennis is on at the moment or do I go to switch over to watch the football or even the cricket?

That is the trouble with the Summer, it brings that feel good factor when that sun shines See you next time.

Brian

Paul Stobbs

Garry Taylor

Whitehall Executive Developments

RNU90 Ltd

Stonehaven Manor

Willow Park

Iveston Lane

Wash Road

Consett

Basildon

Durham DH8 7TB

Essex SS15 4AZ

W Hislop WGH Forecourt Building Services Ltd Potwell Copse Arundel Road Arundel West Sussex BN18 0QP

Martin Campbell

Rod McNess Metric Group 21 Henderson Rd Knoxfield Victoria 3197 Australia

CFM Ltd

Michael Ryan

4 Technology Suite

Chris Hines

Limerick Fire Service

Hines and Hopkins Electrical

Aghanloo Industrial Estate

Fire Station

Cambria House

Aghanloo Road

Mulgrave Street

Bricket Wood

Limavady

Limerick

St Albans

Londonderry BT49 0HE

Ireland

Herts AL2 3XG

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

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New APEA Members Ron Dwyer Welcome Break Group 2 Vantage Court Tickford Street Newport Pagnell Bucks MK16 9EZ Paul White Monmouthshire County Council Environmental Health Coed Glas, Firs Road Abergavenny Monmouthshire NP7 5LE Nick Smyth Offaly Fire And Rescue Service Central Fire Station Tullamore Co Offaly Ireland Mike Hogan Offaly Fire And Rescue Service Central Fire Station Tullamore, Offaly Ireland Martin White Renfrewshire Council Renfrewshire House Cotton Street Paisley Renfrewshire PA1 1UG Carl Greer Service Welding & Machine Co 700 East Main Street Louisville Jefferson 40202 United States Steven Kite Kent County Council Trading Standards East Kent PO Box 320 Ashford Kent TN24 8AS Karl Meakins Global Alliance 62, Haynes Road Bedford Bedfordshire MK429PG Oliver Lupton Forecourt Bureau of Ireland 4 Kincora Way, Collins Avenue Dunmore Road Waterford Ireland 6

May

June

Barry Wyeth Wyeth Projects Limited 12 Clovelly Park Hindhead Surrey GU26 6SZ

Adrian Holyomes HYTEK GB LTD Delta House Green Street Elsenham Bishops Stortford Hertfordshire CM22 6DS

Salim Al-Busaidi Shell Oman Marketing Co SAOG Mina Al fahal, PB 38, PC 116 Muscat 116 Oman Valentina Amadei NUPI SPA Via dell'Artigianato 13 Loc. Poggio Piccolo CASTEL GUELFO (BO) 40023 Italy Karen Creek 16 North Star Drive Leighton Buzzard Beds LU7 3DP David Quayle Quayle's Garage The Brown Bobby Petrol Filling Station Peel Road Douglas Isle of Man IM1 4LX Darren Beriro 19 Chantry Lane Grimsby NE Lincs DN31 2LP Artun Tanriyaskukur Turpack AS Vatan CAD Ortadou is Merkezi No:2 KAT:4, Caglayan Istanbul 3440 Turkey Peter Houlton Shell UK 14 Gallowden Road Arbroath DD11 3HP Ken Flett Shell UK 14 Gallowden Road Arbroath DD11 3HP Richard Parkinson 5 Crowborough Close Lostock Bolton BL6 4LZ

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

Richard Lague Essex County Council Trading Standards 2 Beaufort Road Dukes Park Industrial Estate Chelmsford Essex CM2 6PS Andy Gibbons Claret Civil Engineering Ltd Claret House, Abbey Hill Hoxne Nr Eye Eye Suffolk IP21 5AL Richard O'Lone ROL Electrical Testing 34 Tullyallen Rd Dunagnnon Tyrone BT70 3AF Northern Ireland Chris Howard Merseyside Fire & Rescue Services Service Headquarters Bridgle Road Liverpool L30 4YD Keith Stubbs The Cottage 11 Church Lane Murton Seaham Durham SR7 9RD Fiona Moore Envirosurverying Ltd 6 Reed Crescent Laurencekirk Aberdeenshire AB30 1EF Peter Heffernan An Cuan 15 The Square Skerries Co. Dublin Ireland Matthew Harwood 2 Sprinvale Cottage Main Road Chillerton Isle of Wight PO30 3EP

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Business Manager’s Report

Bulletin

I hope you are all enjoying the summer, at least the weather has been kind so far.

By the time you receive this issue APEA 2008 will only be a couple of months away, so please be sure to contact me if you wish to attend the AGM or Downstream Events if you wish to attend the conference, exhibition and dinner (details below).

Thank you to all of you that have contributed to this issue of The Bulletin.

Please send me any news items, press releases or articles for the December 2008 issue and I will pass them onto our Editor for approval. There will also be full report of APEA 2008 in the December issue.

We are always pleased to receive contributions from our members and it ensures that the Bulletin remains and interesting and informative read.

2009 Yearbook

Bulletin Advertising The Yearbooks will be distributed on 1st October.

If you have not received your copy by the end of October please let me know and I will chase up your delivery. We will be sending all Yearbooks by Royal Mail recorded delivery and by courier so that we can follow up any non deliveries.

2008 AGM, Conference, Exhibition and Awards Dinner Following the success of APEA 2007 we will be repeating the format for APEA 2008.

It brings together equipment suppliers, service providers, oil companies, independent retailers, supermarkets and regulators for a day of conference debate, new technology and product display, networking and industry recognition.

APEA 2008 takes place on 23rd October at the Telford International Centre in the UK. The event takes place in a dedicated conference and function centre, boasting top class facilities and onsite hotels. The Telford International Centre is a half hour drive from Birmingham.

Anyone wishing to book for the Conference, Exhibition or Awards Dinner should contact Annabel, Emma or Fiona from Downstream Events at info@downstream-events.com or on +44 (0) 208 932 4505.

If you would like to enter any of the awards please contact me for an entry form at admin@apea.org.uk, please specify which award you wish to enter so that the appropriate form can be emailed to you. The deadline for entries is 12th September.

Please ensure you let me know if you wish to attend the AGM either by email at admin@apea.org.uk or on 0845 603 5507. The AGM is free to APEA members but if you wish to attend the Conference and Exhibition too, you need to contact Downstream Events to register your attendance. Details are on page 31 of this issue.

Thanks to all of you that renewed your advertising for the 2008 issues of the Bulletin and thanks to new advertisers too.

Remember that if you book in all four issues you receive a 25% discount and we are able to offer discounts for those of you that wish to book for more than one issue but less than four issues too.

You will also receive a 50% discount on Yearbook advertising too for the 2008 issue.

The advertising rates remain unchanged for 2008 and are listed on our website on the ‘Publications’ page at www.apea.org.uk If you would like to book advertising in the Bulletin for 2008, please call me on 0845 603 5507 or email me at admin@apea.org.uk for a booking form.

discounted rate and at a time and location suitable to them.

If you are interested in hosting a bespoke course for your company please do not hesitate to contact me.

We can offer discounted rates for these courses if you are able to provide a venue and catering.

Thanks go out to all our trainers who often travel long distances to provide their valuable services.

You can book online from the Training page on the APEA website or you can download a booking form from our website training page, just click on the course you are interested in and the course details and form are displayed or please contact me by email or by phone and I can email you a copy.

New Members There have been 43 new members joining during April, May and June and details can be found on page 5.

Publications

Website

The Blue Book is available at the discounted rate of £40 to APEA members.

If you wish to purchase a copy please contact me on 0845 603 5507 and I will be able to provide you with details on obtaining a copy.

We also publish the Code of Practice for Ground floor, multi storey and underground car parks. This can be purchased directly from our website or by calling me at the office.

The website continues to be a useful site for information and to make online bookings and payments. I am glad so many of you are using it.

If you wish to contribute anything to the site please feel free to log on and go to the APEA Resource Centre where you can submit your article for approval.

There is a ‘Help’ pull down menu if you need some assistance. If you need any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

You can also use the website to change your contact details, just logon and you will be able to access your record. If you cannot remember your logon details please contact me.

APEA Members £10.00 plus p+p Non APEA Members £20.00 plus p+p Training Thanks to all of you that have booked on the APEA training courses, the last few months have been busy with bookings.

The 2008 dates are detailed on page 78 of this issue of the Bulletin and are also on the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk where you can book online or download a booking form.

I am arranging bespoke courses for various companies which enables members to receive training at a

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

General Assistance Finally if any of you need any assistance with general or technical matters, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0845 603 5507 and I will endeavour to help.

Jane 7

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News

UK, Petrogas to expand operations in Britain Petrogas, which operates the Applegreen chain of petrol stations, intends to expand operations in Britain Sources close to the company have revealed that Petrogas expects Britain to play an important role in the company´s further growth.

In recent years, the company has expanded significantly. Currently, it has a network of approximately 50 filling stations in Ireland. In addition to this, over the past few months, Petrogas has set up a chain of seven fuel stations in the Greater London area as well.

PDAM wants government to freeze all approvals for new petrol stations The Petrol Dealers Association of the Malaysia has said that the government should immediately stop issuing approvals to oil companies for new petrol stations in the country This demand of the Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) follows efforts to reduce fuel subsidy and curb profiteering.

In a statement, the association said: "Now oil companies are giving all sort of incentives to the consumers to encourage them to buy more fuel. This encourages wastages and unimportant fuel purchases. The end effect is the oil companies´ fuel sales volume goes up and the government pays higher fuel subsidy."

The association has also asked the government to stop oil companies from offering incentives to consumers to buy fuel. Limiting the operating hours of fuel stations will also lower fuel subsidy, the association added.

UK, Fire hits Grangemouth oil plant The Grangemouth refinery is Scotland's main fuel supplier.

About 40 firefighters have attended a blaze at the giant Grangemouth oil refinery.

The small fire started just after 0200 BST when oil spilled onto piping at the plant in Stirlingshire.

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Firefighters with six engines and a command unit attended the blaze, which was in a part of the site called the HydroCracker Unit.

No-one was hurt in the incident. The refinery owners Ineos said the fire had not affected the plant's operations.

Firefighters were at the scene for about three hours, working with fire staff from Ineos.

'Small incident' The teams from Central Scotland Fire and Rescue were not actually deployed but were at the site in case they were needed.

The fire was extinguished by Ineos' own emergency personnel.

An Ineos spokesman said: "It was a small incident.

"The emergency systems worked correctly, and it was sorted out on site.

"At no time was the community at risk. All our personnel were accounted for."

About 1,200 workers at the refinery went on strike for two days at the end of last month in a dispute over planned changes to their pension scheme by owner Ineos.

UK, Hazchem Emergency Response Service Scheme This Fire and Rescue Service circular, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, details a new Hazchem Emergency Response Service (HERS), which is voluntary marking and support scheme aimed at assisting emergency response to incidents involving the transport of packaged dangerous goods by road.

It is stressed that this scheme must not be confused with the existing statutory marking schemes required by the European ADR Regulations and the GB Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations. Neither should it be confused with the GB Hazchem plates incorporating Hazchem Emergency Action Codes.

The HERS Scheme is intended to assist member companies (about 40 independent haulage companies) when responding to incidents involving their vehicles carrying dangerous goods. In addition, the supplementary voluntary markings on vehicles and available support systems may assist emergency responders when dealing with these incidents.

The scheme has two essential components:

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

• a supplementary marking (sign) which is additional to the standard orange plates required under ADR or the GB Carriage Regulations. This new marking displays an emergency contact telephone number that allows responders to obtain information without having to enter the vehicle cab for transport documents or the load compartment to seek information from package labels, which is the normal procedure where transport of packaged goods are involved • a tiered support system, similar in nature to the ‘Chemsafe Scheme’, currently operated by the National Chemical Emergency Centre, for incidents involving transport by tankers, tank containers or bulk loads.

A sign may be displayed by members of the network on the back of the vehicle when they are carrying packaged dangerous goods (in addition to the orange plates that must be displayed on the front and rear of the vehicle). This should only be displayed when the vehicle is actually carrying such goods.

The National Chemical Emergency Centre will handle telephone calls to the emergency number. This number gives access to three levels of assistance: level 1 – provision of advice; level 2/3 – response. Under level 2, an industry advisor will be sent to offer advice at the scene. A level 3 response would be instigated where the incident requires a clean up and/or removal of chemicals.

The circular points out that, where the vehicle is carrying dangerous goods in packages but the carrier is not a member of the scheme, it is likely that the only warning available will be the orange plates at the front and rear of the vehicle.

The circular is available at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/docume nts/fire/pdf/fsc19-2008cvg.pdf FRS Circular 19/2008

UK, Euro garages on with plan Manchester´s Citypress will fuel a high-profile publicity campaign for the UK´s fastest growing independent petrol station operator. Euro Garages, which has a turnover of £230m and employs 500 people, operates 70 sites across the north and the Midlands.

After a successful refinancing earlier this year, the Blackburn-based company plans to double the number of

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News sites over the next two years through a series of acquisitions.

Citypress´s brief is to raise the company´s reputation and profile in order to make it easier for them to attract the interest of potential takeover targets. As well as retailing fuel for BP and Shell, many of its locations include Spar-branded convenience retail stores as well as franchised Subway sandwich outlets.

It is understood that Citypress won the account following a competitive pitch including at least one other Manchester public relations agency.

Citypress director Martin Currie, who is leading the account, said: "This is a true entrepreneurial, family-owned business that has grown from start-up to leading independent operator in just seven years. They´ve done this by acquiring unloved filling stations and transforming them into successful, profitable multiuse sites.”

"With the sector consolidating quickly, Euro Garages is in a strong position to capitalise and continue increasing its scale through acquisition.´We´ll be delivering an integrated programme of PR and marketing activity which communicates the company´s strengths and growth ambitions over the next five years to the trade, property, financial and wider business communities."

Zuber Issa, managing director of Euro Garages, said: "We´ve reached a size and scale where we need professional support with our external and internal communications. We´re keen to demonstrate the business´s appetite and ability to expand, and Citypress has an excellent track record in helping large, privately owned companies achieve that."

UK, Clean up of petrol leak underway Thousands of gallons of petrol leaked at a fuel storage depot in Cardiff, prompting a site evacuation.

It is believed 4,179 gallons of petrol (19,000 litres) leaked at the Chevron Fuel Storage plant.

Around 15 firefighters from South Wales Fire Service were on standby at the scene on Rover Way. Chevron said petrol is currently not leaving the terminal but garages are being supplied with fuel from other depots.

A Chevron spokesman said: "Chevron can confirm that a leak was detected in a tank at the company's Cardiff terminal at Roath Dock.

"The terminal was evacuated safely and the emergency services had attended the scene. All other firms based in the docks had been informed

and the fire service were giving guidance on whether they needed to evacuate their premises.”

"The road around the terminal is open for people needing to access the docks area. "Action has already been taken to prevent any further leak of fuel," he said.

The company said the petrol had spilled into a bund - or earthworks surrounding the container.

Technical specialists were on site to find out which areas had been affected, the company said.

Fire crews from Cardiff central fire station, Ely, Whitchurch, Penarth and Duffryn in Newport were also at the scene.

Relevant agencies had been informed and The Environment Agency was involved.

"At present, we believe the fuel that has leaked has not polluted any water course and is contained on site," said a spokesman for the Environment Agency.

"Investigations will continue to monitor if water courses will be affected.

A clean-up operation by Chevron will start as soon as the site is declared safe

by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

An investigation into how the leak happened will be launched.

UK, Forecourt crime don't let them get off free!

Witnesses who report crimes committed on filling station forecourts are to be offered rewards.

All 54 filling stations across the Bradford district support the campaign and will be displaying the Name, Shame and Claim posters urging people to report those responsible for forecourt crime, including robbery, theft and assault.

The British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS), whose members include Esso, BP, Shell, Texaco and Total, has just published a report showing a 13 per cent increase in national overall losses during 2007, with the problem of forecourt crime expected to grow throughout 2008.

The new campaign, which could be extended to the rest of West Yorkshire if it proves successful in Bradford, was unveiled at Esso´s ring road petrol station in Rooley Lane, Bierley.

Store manager Oliver Edwards, who welcomed the new initiative, said: "I would say we have about ten make off without payments every week and every time someone drives off without paying, it´s a loss to us or the fuel

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

company and that directly affects people´s petrol prices. Having suffered an armed robbery at the end of last year, we welcome the campaign and hope it, along with other initiatives already in place, will help deter criminals."

Mr Edwards revealed that one member of his staff was still off work following the armed robbery in October 2007, in which the cashier received a blow to the head and was taken to hospital. "It put everybody on edge for some time," said Mr Edwards.

Crime reduction officer Jacquie Thomas, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "It´s not just a case of making off with a full tank of petrol. Many organised criminals have converted cars and even vans to hold large tanks in the back which they then fill with petrol before making off without paying. The likelihood is that this fuel is then sold or used by other criminals. With Name, Shame and Claim´, we´re urging people to report those responsible."

Sergeant Gary Haworth, regional coordinator of Crimestoppers, said: "People can be reluctant to call the police but can call Crimestoppers anonymously and in complete confidence. We would urge anyone who witnesses forecourt crime to contact us.

If the call leads to a successful arrest the called could receive anything between £100 and £1,000 for their help in tackling forecourt crime."

BOSS regional co-ordinator John Turtle said: "Crime on Britain´s forecourts is a serious issue which damages business and can affect local communities. The efforts of the industry to work in partnership with organisations such as Crimestoppers and police forces around the country is indeed making an impact and this initiative with West Yorkshire Police is a further step in the battle to reduce forecourt crime."

Police already use the automatic number plate recognition on vehicles, CCTV and train staff to combat crime.

Staff are regularly invited to training sessions with the police to advise them of the latest preventative measures and updates on forecourt crime.

UK, Regulators' Compliance Code The government has introduced a new code of practice aimed at saving businesses time and money by improving the way regulators work with them. The Regulators’ Compliance Code is part of government’s programme to cut red tape.

The Code requires regulators to take a risk-based approach to inspection 11

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News and enforcement. This means fewer inspections and less regulatory burden for the majority of compliant businesses, but more rigorous inspection when there is high risk of a business not complying with regulation.

Businesses can expect a cut in unnecessary inspections, form filling and information requests, as well as better advice on how to comply with the law. They can also expect more transparent, flexible and consistent enforcement.

National regulators like the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency will have to take the Code into account when setting out how they conduct their work. In England it also applies to local authority functions like environmental health and licensing, trading standards, as well as fire and rescue authorities.

Businesses can challenge regulators through Judicial Review if they do not follow the Code.

The Code is based on the findings of the Hampton Report that enforcement of regulation should be risk-based and that the existing voluntary arrangement was not working as well as expected.

Following this risk-based approach will also help regulators be more efficient and effective in their work as they target their resources at areas where there is most risk.

Businesses consulted on the Code were strongly in favour of this statutory approach to good practice in regulation, rather than a voluntary arrangement.

UK, (HSE) Garage fined £20,000 after worker suffers fatal burns The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning garages to ensure they have safe methods in place for working on vehicle fuel systems, after a Twickenham garage pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches which led to the death of one of its workers, Biagio Malacaria.

Alexanders of Twickenham Ltd, a car MOT, service and repair business, was found guilty on 25 June at the City of London Magistrates Court of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in that it failed to ensure the safety at work of its employees.

The company was fined £20,000, the maximum fine possible in a Magistrates' Court for the offence. They were also instructed to pay costs of £16,905.

On 12 December 2005 Biagio Malacaria, a mechanic employed by 12

Alexanders, was working on a car's fuel system, which involved draining fuel from the vehicle. During this process, his overalls were set alight and he was engulfed in flames. The flames were extinguished by two colleagues, one of whom was also injured in the process.

Mr Malacaria was taken to The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, but died from pneumonia as a result of his injuries on 6 January 2006.

HM Inspector of Health and Safety Andrew Withers, who was prosecuting, said: "This is a case where a man died as a result of serious injuries he suffered after working with woefully inadequate equipment, and it is shocking that the employer had not realised the danger created by petrol being moved and stored in open containers near obvious sources of ignition."

"The company failed in its duties in a number of ways including having no risk assessment for fire and explosions, a lack of safety measures for this type of work and failing to ensure that all staff were suitably trained."

"I hope this case encourages other employers who have to control the risks created by petrol to double check their arrangements and ensure they are adequate and sensible. There is plenty of free advice on our website http://www.hse.gov.uk - to assist them in protecting both employees and members of the public".

UK, Ecologia set to clean up with the UK’s petrol retailers Ecologia, the award winning environmental consultancy and contractor, has developed a groundbreaking remediation technique, which gives it a great opportunity to clean up with the country’s petrol retailers.

In an industry first, Ecologia, a company based at Kent Science Park, near Sittingbourne, has used its patented Radio Frequency technology to extract volatile chemicals from contaminated land without the cost of removing the soil. The new technique is currently being successfully used at a former petrol station in Manston, near Ramsgate.

Ecologia drills holes into the soil then sinks radio antennae into the narrow shafts. Once in place the antennae send out radio waves to heat the soil and stimulate the contaminants, which rise through the soil. These gases are then removed using specially developed vacuum systems, and the air filtered using activated charcoal.

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Giacomo Maini, Managing Director of Ecologia, said: “Our technique is a winwin for the site owner and the environment, and great news for us as there are hundreds of disused petrol stations across the country waiting to be cleaned up.

“As our process takes in the region of only three months the petrol retailer gains a clean site for future development or sale much quicker than other commercially available technique using in situ methods which can take approximately a year to complete. The technology is also commercially competitive in relation to the traditional removal and transportation of soil to landfill, which is fast becoming very expensive due to the recent increase in landfill tax and haulage costs.

“The environment benefits from the simple fact that companies no longer have to remove the contaminated soil and transport it to a hazardous waste landfill site. Our technique treats the problem on site, rather than effectively sweeping the problem under the carpet by moving it elsewhere, which is not environmentally sustainable.

“The results from this first ever field trial are incredibly positive and show we have a technology which can be commercially applied to removing contaminates from petrol stations.”

James Speck, Site Director at Kent Science Park, said: “Ecologia’s technology is leading the way and once again shows the talent that exists at the Park.” Ecologia is the current ‘Swale Company of the Year’.

UK Dorset, Petrol tanker in smoke alert Firefighters were called to the A35 near Bridport after a petrol tanker fully loaded with fuel started smoking, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said.

Two fire crews from Bridport were called to the scene, just off the Charmouth roundabout.

A fire service spokesman said: "Luckily the alarm was caused by overheating of the brakes.

"Two hose reel jets were used as a precautionary measure due to the nature of the vehicle."

UK, BP has opened its first small-scale BP Connect store in UK The UK´s largest fuel retailer, BP, has developed a version of its Connect shop format for smaller sites which are mainly dealer-owned. Given the

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News importance of providing a strong shop offering across the entire network, this should be considered as a positive investment by BP. BP has announced the launch of its first small-scale Connect store in the UK. The store, which is located in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, will offer hot and cold drinks and snacks, as well as pastries and cakes. The move marks a change of direction, as, in the past, BP Connect stores were exclusive to larger sites, of which there are currently 170. However, in its original format, the Connect concept would not have been suitable for smaller sites, as they require different product stocking recommendations.

As the smaller sites tend to be dealerowned, the new Connect concept will give BP the opportunity to extend its proposition to sites over which it has less control. This is particularly important to BP, given that a comparatively large proportion of its service stations are dealer-owned.

Indeed, in the UK, dealer-owned service stations account for 68% of BP´s network, compared to 46% for Total, 35% for Shell, and 33% for Esso.

There are a number of other reasons why the new Connect format is a good idea. Firstly, the initiative should go a long way toward eliminating the inconsistency between sites. If investment in a strong shop concept and brand development is restricted to selected sites, the overall BP brand could be undermined, as there could be potential for inconsistent propositions and quality standards across the whole network, irrespective of ownership and size of site. Secondly, the move will allow shop owners to benefit from a carefully selected product range.

The arrival of a smaller format in the UK is also a reflection of the success of the Connect brand, and provides a platform from which to replicate the format overseas. Since the first BP Connect store opened in the UK in 2000, it has been rolled out to the US, Australasia, and a number of European countries and, if the smaller concept is equally as successful, there is no reason why BP would not follow the same strategy.

In essence, the new, small Connect format is part of a larger BP drive towards franchise streamlining. This will provide the company with the ability to reduce inconsistency and differing quality standards between sites which could potentially lead to brand dilution.

UK, Tanker drivers call off strike Shell Tanker Drivers have called off

their strike following 4 days of strike action. The stoppage , which started on Friday 13 June, led to hundreds of Petrol Stations across the UK running out of fuel. Shell is understood to have reported that about a fifth of its outlets had run dry, with the South-West of England, Cardiff and parts of London and the West Midlands being particularly badly hit. The pay dispute involved 600 drivers working for two haulage firms – Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport – that are contracted to Shell.

A planned second strike was called off and a resolution announced providing a substantial improved pay offer worth 14%.

UK, Leicester. HSE warns companies to protect employees from dangers of flammable liquids June 2008 - The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned companies to protect employees from flammable cleaning liquids after a Leicester man suffered burns to his hands and legs after some acetone caught fire.

Leicester-based Parmeko Plc was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £1,910 costs (Friday 13 June) at Leicester Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to contravening Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of an employee whilst he was handling acetone, a flammable liquid.

On 2 October 2007, Naran Hirani, 50, was using acetone to clean components at the factory. He poured some acetone into a one litre plastic jug, and used a small brush to clean debris and oil from transformers. At this point, a fire occurred.

HSE's investigation found that the acetone was being used without any attention given to fire risk arising from uncontrolled vapour release near sources of heat, flame or sparks. In this case a solder pot running at up to 400°C was positioned at just over an arm's length from the acetone.

HSE Inspector for Leicestershire Munera Sidat said: "This incident could have been avoided if

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Parmeko had put a safe system of working in place to help protect employees when handling this sort of highly flammable and toxic substance and made employees aware of the dangers associated with acetone. If this had been the case here, Mr Hirani would not have suffered such a painful incident."

Belgium, Incidents caused by portable plastic containers An incident occurred recently on an Esso site in Belgium when a customer parked a mobile home (van) at a pump on the forecourt. The driver did not fill his fuel tank up but took 3 plastic petrol

containers out of the vehicle and started to fill them with gasoline (petrol), RON 95 grade.

Whilst he was filling the containers there was an ignition which caused the customer to jump sideways at the same time kicking over the petrol containers and causing ignited fuel to spill and flow, involving the pump itself as well as his vehicle.

The customer attempted to drive his vehicle away but the fire was too extensive and he abandoned it,escaping to the main road adjacent to

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the petrol filling station.

The site was evacuated successfully and a cashier called an ambulance, notified the Fire & Rescue Service as well as contacting both the Assistant Site Manager and the Regional Manager.

There were initially two explosions.

These involved the van and were followed by a larger third explosion. As this occurred, an 8 litre LPG cylinder “blevied” (exploded) and smashed against the wall of as private house on the other side of the road.

After 7 minutes the Fire & Rescue Service arrived and after a further 10 minutes, the fire was under control.

The post incident investigation concluded that the customer was unsure about filling up containers in the first place and although no actual cause was recorded for the initial ignition it is believed to have been caused by static build up.

Esso immediately arranged for additional safety stickers to be placed on the forecourt pumps and have further briefed their employees to ensure that there is adequate supervision for customers using portable fuel containers.

Belgium, First hydrogen filling station opened The first Belgian hydrogen filling station was inaugurated in Brussels by Total in the presence of the Flemish Ministry for Economy, Enterprise, Science, Innovation and Foreign Trade.

Linde developed the technology which allows the low-temperature liquid hydrogen to be stored next to the station, as well as the refuelling system.

The Total filling station, which is situated on the Paris-bound carriageway of the E19 motorway, was built as part of the cooperation of BMW and Total "As a pioneer in hydrogen technology Linde has a particular responsibility to promote sustainable mobility based on hydrogen", said Dr Aldo Belloni, 16

member of the Executive Board of Linde AG. "Itis vitally important that we work in tandem with politicians, scientists and economic decisionmakers in order to continue to develop and improve the infrastructures and technologies required for the use of hydrogen as a fuel."

"Within the framework of its commitment towards a sustainable development, the TOTAL group has been investing for several years into research & development on hydrogen as a fuel", explains Miguel del Marmol, Managing Director of TOTAL BELGIUM. "With this new station, TOTAL shows that the distribution of´ hydrogen can be perfectly integrated in a motorway service station."

Linde, which is a leading supplier of industrial gases and the world´s largest manufacturer of hydrogen plants, has been powering ahead with the development of hydrogen technology for years. Almost all the filling stations in the world which supply liquid hydrogen are equipped with Linde refuelling technology. The advantage of liquid hydrogen (LH2) over compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH2) is that it has a significantly higher energy density.

This higher energy density means that more energy can be saved when the hydrogen is transported from the production site to the filling station than is required for the liquefaction of the gas. The amount of space required to store liquid hydrogen at the filling station is much less than for gaseous hydrogen.

Hungary, MOL to open new filling stations in Hungary this year Hungarian oil and gas group MOL is to open seven new filling stations in Hungary this year, while its Austrian rival OMV does not plan expanding its petrol station network markedly. MOL will not have to worry about its market leading position.

MOL is to open seven new filling stations in Hungary this year, four on the new stretch of motorway M7, two along the M0 circle and one on M5.

Due to delays in motorway constructions, the opening of the two stations on M7, however, may be put off to 2009.

OMV does not plan to enlarge its network considerably, with only one or two new filling stations seen in the pipeline. MOL is apparently not satisfied with its 36% market share on the domestic market, which is no wonder, given that it has been losing ground continuously. MOLs market share

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eroded by six percentage points over the past three years.

USA, TX, Austin.

Overturned fuel tanker closes highway 71.

July 2008 - A messy accident shut down Highway 71, making the afternoon commute a nightmare for folks heading to and from the Hill Country.

A fuel truck overturned north of Bee Creek and South of Creek Meadow Cove. The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The Travis County Sheriff's Office said both sides of the highway remained shut down for "an extended period of time."

USA, GM and Clean Energy to open hydrogen fueling station in Los Angeles Clean Energy Fuels has announced that it will open a hydrogen fueling station in Los Angeles, California, with support from General Motors The two companies have also announced that they are exploring further opportunities to expand the hydrogen fuel infrastructure. As the first step in this effort, a hydrogen fueling station will be developed and located at Clean Energy´s compressed natural gas (CNG) facility near the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

The hydrogen station will be used by drivers taking part in Chevrolet´s Project Driveway, the world´s largest market test of fuel cell vehicles. It is expected to be operational by early fall.

General Motors (GM) and Clean Energy are discussing potential opportunities to expand this first station into a network of hydrogen fueling stations by leveraging Clean Energy´s natural gas fueling expertise and the real-world customer experience gained by fueling more than 14,000 vehicles daily at over 170 CNG stations across North America.

Mary Beth Stanek, director of energy and environmental policy and commercialisation at General Motors, said: "Developing and growing hydrogen infrastructure is vital to GM´s efforts to bring larger volumes of fuel cell vehicles to the market. We are supporting this hydrogen station near LAX because we recognise a critical role for Clean Energy´s existing CNG

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News infrastructure in helping expand the hydrogen infrastructure."

units has no implications for the Canadian firm.

USA, ExxonMobil to divest US gasoline stations

USA, NY, Rochester.

Accidental fireworks explosion

Integrated energy giant ExxonMobil has announced that it is withdrawing out of the low-margin retail gasoline business by selling assets off to distributors A news source reported that ExxonMobil´ decision follows similar actions by other oil companies, who have decided to sell their retail gasoline assets to distributors.

ExxonMobil´ Tiger-themed stations and Mobil outlets will continue to be seen around the US, as distributors buy ExxonMobil products and pay to use the name. Around 75% of 12,000 ExxonMobil-branded gas stations in the US are already owned by distributors.

The oil major has stated that it plans to sell its remaining 820 companyowned stations and an additional 1,400 outlets operated by dealers, to distributors. ExxonMobil has said that the divestment will be achieved over a multi-year duration.

Industry experts have said that ExxonMobil´s decision does not come as a surprise, especially at a time when high oil prices have all but cut through any remaining margin for profits. Fuel retailers reportedly depend on gasoline sales to attract customers to their auto service and food and drink offerings.

ExxonMobil has said that it sells about 14 billion gallons of gasoline annually at its branded gas stations in the US. Ben Soraci, the director of ExxonMobil´s US retail sales said: "As the highly competitive fuels marketing business in the US continues to evolve, we believe this transition is the best way for ExxonMobil to compete and grow in the future."

July 2008 - A fireworks nightmare for a young woman from Rush. A 24-yearold woman was recovering after losing part of her hand in a fireworks explosion. Monroe County Sheriff's Office said this is a perfect example of how fireworks become dangerous.

Officials say a fire cracker actually exploded in a woman's hand. Officers said the 24 year-old woman thought she was lighting a candle, but it was really an M-100, which is a large firework.

When she realised it was a firecracker, she tried to get it out of the house and that's when it exploded in her hand.

She was taken to the hospital and told she could lose some fingers or a thumb. With the Fourth of July, officials said this is a prime example of how dangerous handling fireworks can be.

"This young lady sustained a fairly serious but not life threatening hand injury and it could effect the future use of her hand. I've seen this kind of thing before. It will cause injuries that will stay with you the rest of your life," said Sergeant Robert Murphy from Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Officials said fireworks are explosives, the same thing as dynamite, and they have the same force. If this happens to you, don't try to take the firecracker anywhere. Police say to treat it like a fire, leave it alone, and get yourself out of the situation. All fireworks are illegal in New York State and if you're caught with them police say you'll be slapped with a fine up to $750.

Imperial Oil not to follow ExxonMobil lead, to keep gas stations ExxonMobil´s Canadian subsidiary Imperial Oil has said that it has no plans to divest its 700 Esso-branded company-owned gasoline stations in Canada, even though its parent firm has decided to sell off its retail network in the US. Imperial Oil, which is 69.6% owned by ExxonMobil, reportedly owns 700 of the 1,900 Esso stations in Canada, but does not directly operate the sites.

Robert Theberge, a spokesman for Imperial, was quoted as saying that ExxonMobil´s decision to divest its retail

USA, Kansas, Topeka.

An update on the contaminated fuel June 2008 – We have an update to the story about a handful of Northeast Kansas gas stations that received tainted fuel including a station in North Topeka.

According to a BP spokesperson only four people bought gas from the station in Topeka, and another handful of people may have bought gas from a station in Lawrence.

According to BP spokesperson Scott Dean it is rare to have a mix up like this.

Dean said, "I have been with BP thirteen years, and I have only seen this

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happen one other time and that was 6 years ago. What happened was a shipment of diesel fuel at our distribution centre in Sugar Creek was redirected and actually pumped into our unleaded storage tank."

If you are unsure if you have contaminated fuel in your vehicle's tank there are some warnings signs you might want to look out for. Mechanic Roy Bixby said, "Well there are several things you could have a knocking noise.

The engine may sputter like there is water in it, and it will eventually die."

Raymond Bixby owns Rays Auto Service. Bixby says running diesel in a car that runs on unleaded can blow your engine, because the diesel fuel will leach the lubrication from the engine.

Bixby said, "An engine is running at 300 rpm rounds per minute pounding up and down. If there is no lubrication then it's just metal versus metal. So its eventually going to knock it loose it just raw metal versus metal."

If the contaminated fuel does cause someone engine damage BP is ready to step in and help fix the situation free of charge. Dean said, "We take every situation seriously. We evaluate each consumer's claim on a case by case basis we look at every situation on its own merits. The goal is to make sure customers are satisfied." According to Dean BP will even give the customer who pumped the bad fuel a free tank of good fuel.

BP is paying to have affected customers vehicles fuel systems flushed, fuel systems replaced and tanks filled with gasoline.

USA, Texas, Tyler.

Gas station's tanks robbed dry June 2008 - These days it seems like people will do anything for gasoline.

You've heard the stories about east Texans doing whatever they can for some extra gas money.

Well, someone decided to go after the gas itself - and we're talking thousands of gallons from a Smith County gas station.

It started off like most mornings for Hira Food And Gas employee Stephanie Silva. That is, until she got her first customer. "A guy came in around 7:30, 8 o'clock and he tried to pump gas, but there was no gas." Silva says she called her owner who then told her to run a report on the gas pumps. "It ran out zero, zero, zero and we didn't have any gas," Silva said.

2,500 gallons of gasoline, worth more than $10,000: gone just like that. But how?

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News The Smith County Sheriff's Department says right now they have no idea how someone was able to steal so much gasoline. The owner of the Shell Station, who just bought the store a few weeks ago, says right now he does not have any locks on these gas caps, which means anyone can get inside. It also means now is the time to get some locks.

"Yes, he's going to put some locks on them," said Silva, referring to the station's owner.

The owner of Hira Gas And Food also says a gasoline truck should arrive in the next couple of days to fill their tanks.

USA, Chicago, Plainfield. Tanker collision leaves woman dead June 2008 - A woman is dead after a tanker truck crashed into the car she was driving in the southwest suburbs.

The accident happened just before at Essington and Main in Plainfield. A box truck hauling milk was also hit by the gasoline tanker.

The woman in the car was airlifted to Advocate Good Samaritan hospital in Downers Grove where she later died.

The other two drivers sustained minor injuries.

Canada, Edmonton.

Mystery substance in river identified as Naptha July 2008 - Edmonton fire and hazmat crew work on setting up a boom to contain the spill on the North Saskatchewan River.

Officials confirmed the shiny substance spilled into the North Saskatchewan River on was naphtha, a petroleum-based solvent found in kerosene lamps and paint thinner.

Fire and hazardous materials crews spread booms along the river to sop up the chemical and look for residual pockets found on the river overnight.

Nikki Booth, a spokeswoman for the fire department, said it was likely there are still traces of the solvent in the city's drainage system. It is not yet known how the substance found its way into the water, however, the fire department has traced the spill to a massive storm drain in the city's northwest. From there, the chemical made its way through the complex drainage system to the river.

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Cheryl Robb, an Alberta Environment spokeswoman, said there is no evidence to suggest either the city's drinking water or any wildlife is in danger. Helicopter teams from Alberta Environment determined that there wasn’t any shiny residue on the river surface for 120 kilometres in either direction of the original spill.

UAE, New fuel stations outside city areas New permanent fuel stations would be allowed only outside the city areas and mobile stations would be set up on the highways to reduce rush at the gas stations in the capital and in other emirates, according to Colonel Ghaith Al Zaabi, Director-General of the Federal Traffic and Patrol Department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

Colonel Al Zaabi informed that the meeting with ADNOC officials recommended to establish new stations in the remote areas, where there is a need for them, in addition to setting up mobile stations on the highways to reduce the rush at the petrol stations in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Northern Emirates.

Al Zaabi attributed the rush at ADNOC stations to the low prices, which are about 50 per cent less in comparison with the other companies.

He added the premises of the new stations would be decided after studying the geographic surveys.

"Moreover, the department will set fixed hours for the trucks to fill diesel in case they need it when they are inside the cities."

The MoI and ADNOC will increase the number of diesel dispensing units at the fuel stations to meet the increase in the number of trucks in the country. The MoI´s latest statistics showed that the total number of vehicles (trucks, heavy and light cars) has reached 1.8 million this year.

The decision to move fuel stations out of the city limits is due to the heavy rush at the ADNOC stations across the emirates.

Lebanon, South Annville TWP. Tanker overturns in Lebanon County May 2008, . -- An overturned tractortrailer filled with 600 gallons of gasoline occupied emergency responders for

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about three hours at routes 322 and 241 south.

Lebanon County Hazmat teams covered the 2,800-gallon truck and area with foam to minimize danger of explosion when the truck was lifted upright, said Chief Ben Sutcliffe of South Annville Twp. police. No leakage of gas occurred, but some oil seeped out of the truck onto the road, Sutcliffe said, adding that there was no fire, explosion or injuries.

Pumps at a gas station at the intersection were shut down and the store was evacuated, although workers could remain in the garage, Sutcliffe said. There was also concern over keeping any fluids out of a nearby storm drain.

The Meyer Oil Company tanker, driven northbound on Route 241 by James R. Nace, 61, of the 900 block of Poplar Street, Lebanon, overturned around noon, Sutcliffe said, after Nace lost control while braking on the wet road for the stop sign at Route 322.

The truck started sliding and hit an embankment, and rolled onto its side.

Both roads were closed for about three hours.

Malaysia, Klang.

Thieves siphon off petrol June 2008 - Cars parked in housing areas have become the frequent target of thieves now, not for valuables, but for petrol.

Teluk Pulai Residents Association chairman Loo Hock Chai said petrol was the new target following the recent fuel price hike. “At least 20 residents from five housing estates have complained about the theft this month.

The thieves come out after midnight and look for cars parked outside the terrace houses,” he said.

A resident from Taman A & M Toh Chong Hoo, a 50-year-old businessman, said his Proton Iswara parked outside his house was broken into, but no money was taken, only the jack. After spending more than RM100 to fix the broken window, Toh said he lost about RM100 of petrol the next day.

“I was shocked to find out my car petrol tank was empty when I tried to start the engine to go to work at 7am. “A big patch of petrol stain was seen underneath my car and the nut of the petrol tank was on top of the bonnet. “I filled up the car the night earlier before returning home,” he said.

Meanwhile, Loo said residents could not sleep well despite having community patrol team every night.

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News report, thinking it would not help them to recover their losses, he said.

He also urged residents to be careful and park their vehicles within their house compound if possible. Loo said community patrols had spotted suspicious people roaming their neighbourhood but could not do anything as they did not have the authority to check on anyone. “Two weeks ago, a few people saw a man squatting behind a car with a can underneath the car and a tank next to him while another man was waiting on a motorcycle. “The men took the tank and jumped on the motorbike and escaped when the residents approached them,” he said. Loo also urged the police to do more patrols around his neighbourhood.

Australia, Queensland, Brisbane. Four hurt as petrol tanker and car collide July 2008 - Four people were injured when a car and a petrol tanker collided west of Brisbane , emergency services said.

The 51-year-old Brisbane driver of the tanker was trapped in his vehicle and had to be cut free by firefighters following the accident on the Warrego Highway at Blacksoil, near Ipswich. He was taken to Ipswich Hospital with leg injuries. Three women travelling in the car were treated on the scene by paramedics with two being taken to Ipswich Hospital with minor injuries.

A fuel leak from the tanker was controlled by firefighters but there was no fire, a Department of Emergency Services (DES) spokesman said.

Japan, Sakai. Exxon Mobil Japan Group refinery shut after fire July 2008 - Exxon Mobil Japan group oil refiner TonenGeneral Sekiyu's 156,000 barrels per day Sakai refinery in western Japan has been ordered shut after a fire, the local fire department said.

The fire, thought to have occurred due to an oil leak near the refinery's sole 156,000 bpd crude distillation unit (CDU), was extinguished relatively quickly but the incident prompted a suspension order on the CDU, a fire department official said. As a result of

the order, all of the refining operations at the Sakai plant were shut, the official said. He did not know when the plant would resume operations, and said the damage did not appear to be major. If the suspected cause was confirmed, suspension orders in similar cases would typically lifted, he said.

A Tokyo-based TonenGeneral spokesman said the company was trying to minimise the impact on shipments from the refinery.

New Zealand, Christchurch. Petrol station arsonist jailed.

July 2008 - A severely mentally-ill man who set fire to a service station forecourt in an apparent suicide attempt has been jailed for his own good. Jason Alan Harrex was jailed for 25 months by Christchurch District Court Judge Raoul Neave after he admitted charges of injuring with intent to injure, attempted arson, and two counts of assault.

The judge said he took into account Harrex, 35, had been in custody since the incident on May 13 last year, but had to take into consideration time for authorities to consider his release, which would now be in the hands of the Parole Board. "For reasons which will become clear, sentencing you is an exceptionally difficult exercise,'' he said.

On May 23 last year Harrex, described as paranoid, persecutional and schizophrenic, was released by the mental health service. He went to a service station not far from Hillmorton Hospital and began to pump petrol on the ground, using the pretext of filling a container. An attendant who approached was doused with petrol while Harrex smoked a cigarette. Staff shut off the pumps, and Harrex lit a piece of paper and ignited the petrol, meanwhile trying to punch a second man, an off -duty fire officer who put out the fire with extinguishers. "It seems clear you were attempting to take your own life and did not care if you took anybody else with you,'' the judge said.

After being detained afterwards at Hillmorton Hospital, Harrex

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attacked a male nurse, causing a broken cheek and nose. Harrex had a long history of psychiatric involvement, and the more sick he was, the more risk he posed to himself and the community, the judge said.

Lawyer Simon Shamy said there was no dispute Harrex was very unwell at the time. "It seems the only option is a secure environment for his own good.''

Putting him straight out into the community was not viable, and a sentence of about two and a half years would allow authorities time to consider his future, Shamy said.

Prosecutor Deidre Orchard said not all of Harrex's problems could be put down to mental illness. He had made little effort to deal with a substance abuse problem, and seemed resistant to taking medication. He had a history of violence which appeared to be escalating, Orchard said. The judge said he agreed there was cause for concern at the escalation, and it would be “sheer folly” to allow Harrex's release without planned intervention.

South Africa, Flooding in Port Shepstone.

Here are some recent photos from Pat McKune of Engen Petroleum Ltd, of flooding in mid-June in Port Shepstone, which is on the East coast of South Africa, approx 110 km South West of Durban.

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Press Releases Global oil companies show commitment to Cookson & Zinn Two of the world’s major oil companies, BP and Shell, have underlined their commitment to tank and vessel manufacturer Cookson & Zinn (CZ) by extending their existing agreements.

BP has extended its contract with CZ until the end of 2008. The move will see at least 50 double skinned underground storage tanks supplied throughout the year.

Mike Knight, CZ commercial director, commented: “CZ have been supplying tanks to BP for 40 years, many of those years exclusively. We are delighted this very important customer has chosen to extend our contract and hopefully we will continue to supply them for many years to come.”

BP uses CZ’s award-winning tank baseframe as standard, and has worked closely with CZ over the last few years to make the operation of offloading and installing underground tanks much safer and easier.

One of CZ’s longest serving clients, Shell Oil, has also extended their agreement to the end of 2008. This means 60-70 double skinned underground storage tanks will be supplied during the year.

Mike Knight said: “As with most major oil companies, Shell rely heavily on major suppliers maintaining quality and service because downtime on site is extremely expensive. CZ fulfils these requirements consistently.

“We are extremely proud of our relationship with Shell, which has seen us manufacture thousands of tanks over many years, for both the UK and Europe.

The Shell forecourt

d e v e l o p m e n t programme is substantial over the next three years, and we are confident we will continue to supply their tanks to the strict standard demanded. A few of the more recent sites have used our PetroFast modular tanks system, which is quick and easy to install, cost effective and incredibly flexible.”

Volumetric flow measuring system with MID approval FMC Technologies introduced its volumetric flow measuring systems from the SENING® product line for use on tank trucks with MID approval Ellerbek, March 2008 – FMC Technologies is one of the first companies to fully implement the new Directive into its SENING® product line.

In the process, FMC Technologies has attached great importance to practically all measuring systems for mobile use receiving a new approval. These include i.a. the SENING® T Series (T11, T20, T40) and the SENING® measuring systems GMVT 805 and GMVZ 1004.

The MID The provisions of European Parliament Directive 2004/22/EC on measuring instruments (MID) came into force on 30 October 2006. The aim of the Directive is to create a harmonised European market for measuring instruments that are of particular importance for consumer protection and fair trading. Directive 2004/22/EC makes demands on the placement of the measuring instruments on the market (transfer from the manufacturer or dealer to the user) and on the commissioning of such measuring instruments.

One of the double skinned underground storage tanks supplied by CZ to BP.

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The measuring system The volumetric flow measuring system presented by FMC Te c h n o l o g i e s

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

generally consists of three main components. The volumetric flowmeter (sliding-vane flow sensor) forms the heart of every measuring system. This is generally equipped with a gas extractor. Each of the volumetric flow measuring systems is completed with a MultiFlow microprocessor-controlled volume flowmeter. This permits electronic volume conversion, temperature compensation and invoicing.

The new MID-approved volumetric flow metering system has a large number of potential fields of application.

These include fuel oil, diesel and all types of automobile gasoline through to AvGas and Jet A1. Even the new biofuels from E5 to E85 present no problems for the system. The flow metering rates range from 30 l/min to 1000 l/min, depending on the type.

FMC Technologies is the world market leader for custody transfer measurement systems with its SENING® flow metering technology for petroleum products. In addition, the SENING® product line offers a comprehensive spectrum of mechanical and electronic components for the tank truck. Through the close and trusting cooperation with our customers, FMC has been able to develop innovative ideas within the function of their products as well as implement them in a practical manner in the field.

Measurement Solutions is a business unit of FMC Technologies specialising in custody transfer technologies for the petroleum industry. FMC Technologies Measurement Solutions sets the standard for global Best Measurement Practices by designing, manufacturing and servicing the precision products and systems used to measure and control liquids and gases in industrial application. The Smith Meter® brand is known worldwide for its ability to produce reliable, accurate and consistent measurement results.

Sening® is the leading brand for tank

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News company,” Paul de la Port, Dresser Wayne UK & Ireland Managing Director states. “It is the result of years of work and comprehensive research on consumer behaviour. In many ways, it marks the beginning of a new era in retail fueling. Retailers have a new way to reach their customers through innovative tools that ultimately help grow their businesses and lower operating costs.”

truck products and systems which are trusted to provide safety and environmental protection while ensuring accurate measurement during the transport and transfer of liquid products.

For more information about Sening® products and other FMC Technology products, please contact Thomas Koslowski at +49 4101 304-111 or email us at thomas.koslowski@intl.fmcti.com. www.fmctechnologies.com.

Dresser Wayne completes first installation of new Global Ovation fuel dispenser at Spring Petroleum service station in UK Edinburgh, UK (May 7, 2008) – The newly launched Global Ovation fuel dispenser from Dresser Wayne®, a division of Dresser, Inc. is now being used successfully in the UK retail petroleum market. Spring Petroleum, a top independent fuel retailer in the United Kingdom is the first customer to install this revolutionary fuel dispenser at their “Shell Midway Service Station”.

“The Global Ovation design looks fantastic on our forecourt and our customers are delighted to operate this easy to approach, easy to use dispenser.

It offers us the right combination of configurability and advanced promotional technologies for our forecourt,” one of Spring Petroleum’s Owners, Farook Asmal, describes. “We want to provide consumers with the most convenient fueling experience, and Global Ovation offers the means to accomplish this while supporting our business objectives.”

Hytek launches a biodiesel compatible fuel pump The four Global Ovation fuel dispensers include the ground breaking multimedia marketing tool, iX Media with 10.4” full-color displays. These can easily be programmed with customizable content and Spring Petroleum is using iX Media to promote new Oil-Company branded credit cards and premium fuels.

“The scalability of Global Ovation is another attractive feature. Apart from the great design, it has horsepower to match. It includes the virtually drift free Xflo® meter technology, larger sales displays, 4m hose reach but also the ability to add new technology, such as remote diagnostics or pay at the pump in the future,” Owner Jabir Sheth adds.

“Many of these resources in such a good looking design were simply not possible before now.”

The precision-engineered Xflo® Meter virtually eliminates meter drift saving potentially thousands of litres of fuel lost meter drift over time. These new meters also have unparalleled flow rate performance. The Global Ovations have been fitted with full Vapour Recovery Stage II to meet compliance with environmental regulatory standards.

The installation was completed incredibly smoothly and the site was trading in three days.

“Seeing Global Ovation as a successful part of Spring Petroleum’s forecourt is a high point for our

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

Fuelling and equipment specialists Hytek are launching a fuel pump for biodiesel, so fleet managers and private pump owners can easily integrate the environmentally friendly fuel.

Following extensive research and testing, the new ALPHA pump can cope with biodiesel blends of anything from B5 to B100.

Available in two versions, a 60B model pumps at 60 litres per minute and is ideal for cars and small vans. The 80B pump achieves 80 litres per minute for larger vehicles.

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News Working in conjunction with most fuel management systems, fuel is dispensed to an accuracy of +/-0.5% and a six digit backlit main LCD display with ongoing totaliser lets the owner know how much fuel drivers are dispensing. A choice of left or right nozzle holster is ideal when space is limited.

Designed to meet customer demand, the product was developed here in the UK by Hytek’s Technical Manager, Clive Wellings. He said: “On the outside, the new pump is identical to the already popular Alpha series but on the inside we have taken precautions to ensure that the product is 100% compatible with biodiesel.” Special components ensure smooth dispensing and guarantee that the pump works to high standards.

Hytek advise you to remind your customers that biodiesel acts as a detergent. Adding it to storage tanks that used to hold normal diesel could cause problems, blocking filters. Hytek offer a 12 month pump warranty providing the biodiesel in use is refined to meet the European standard EN14214.

The ALPHA for Biodiesel joins an extensive range of fuelling equipment, including the ALPHA FC10 fuel pump, which offers a built in fuel control system and fuel management software.

Also available is the standalone FC20 model which connects to existing pumps, either in floor or wall/tank mount options.

Hytek products are available only through distributors. For a copy of the latest catalogue or CD, contact Hytek on 01279 815600.

Hytek can be found at www.hytekgb.com Dresser Wayne Successfully Completes First Installation of New Global Ovation Fuel Dispenser at Spring Petroleum Service Station in UK

UPP pipework expands across the globe PetroTechnik, the global providers of the UPP underground pipework system and Cookson & Zinn (CZ) underground storage tanks for fuel, is enjoying phenomenal expansion across the world, with the company’s products now supplied to 150 counties.

Nearly 27 years ago, PetroTechnik installed their first lengths of UPP leakfree, non-corrosive, underground, polyethylene containment pipe at a Shell site in Sweden. In those days, the forecourt world was dominated by steel 28

PetroTechnik’s UPP pipe is used worldwide by fuel companies and forecourt operators

Cookson & Zinn storage tanks

piping that caused fuel companies and forecourt operators a multitude of headaches – from corroding and leaking pipework to expensive and time consuming installation.

PetroTechnik’s sales and marketing director, Stephen Maley, said: “The growth and expansion of PetroTechnik over the past 27 years has been phenomenal. This has been achieved through the development of an innovative fuel piping and storage system that has led the way worldwide for fuel companies and forecourt operators. UPP has brought huge environmental and safety benefits as well as significant cost savings in the installation and piping of fuel. CZ tanks are also proving successful in other applications such as general manufacturing and offshore exploration, which demonstrates their versatility.

“We pride ourselves on being able to respond quickly and efficiently to our customers’ needs, wherever they are in the world. What we have, therefore, is a complete offering with a strong support

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

network. Our long-term aim is to continue with this success and expansion to meet the global need for our products.”

PetroTechnik has offices in Great Britain, the USA, F r a n c e , Australia, Sweden, Brazil, China and Japan and trained agents and installers all over the world.

The company is also continuing its expansion. During last year, a number of new appointments were made in the USA and a new distributor was appointed in Canada to spearhead PetroTechnik’s drive into the North American market.

New Marketing Campaign for The Piusi MC Box Centre Tank Services have launched a new marketing campaign to promote their Piusi MC Box Fuel Management/Security Unit to the industry using the security features of the unit as the main benefits rather than the Fuel Management angle.

Sales Director Joe Ferrara explains.

“We believe most end users who were asked whether security was an important feature on their tank would almost always answer yes every time whereas fuel management is a feature

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News many end users do not need or want. In its basic form the MC Box will provide pin numbers for up to eighty users with basic on screen transaction information.

The cost of the unit is so low in its basic form that users who have never thought about electronic locking of their fuel are now seriously considering it as an optional extra to their tank especially in the current climate of spiralling diesel costs”.

Joe continues “Many end users when considering a purchase compare the added cost of the unit to the overall cost of the tank, we try to point out to them that what they should be doing is comparing the cost of the unit to the value of the diesel contained in the tank. So for example spending several hundred pounds on a unit that is protecting over £50,000 worth of diesel in a fifty thousand litre tank actually represents very good value for money”.

The unit itself is easily upgradable to a full fuel management system by purchasing the optional software pack for those who require it and retrofitting the unit to an existing tank using the correct pulser is also very easy to do.

So how do Centre Tank Services plan to market and sell the MC box? Well Joe adds “As with all CTS products we generally only sell through OEM’s and Resale outlets. We believe the tank manufacturer can offer the unit as a security “optional extra” for new tank builds and the fuel distributor potentially represents a fantastic outlet for new builds and in particular the retrofit market, after all it is the fuel distributors who know where all the tanks are as they are the people who are refuelling them”.

And how do you intend to support the campaign? “We have produced a double sided leaflet which we are offering to OEM’s free of charge for their customers with no CTS details and a space for the OEM’s to place their details.

In addition we will be advertising and exhibiting the unit which we hope will generate additional enquiries for our customers”.

Joe continues “There will also be internet and website support including web links etc. for those who require it and a training course is also available to help ensure that distributors are equipped properly to sell the unit”.

For further information on the unit or if you would like to get involved in the campaign itself please contact Dawn Taylor at Centre Tank Services on: Tel: 0121 351 4445 or email: dawn@centretank.com 30

UKPIA Process Safety Leadership Commitment Statement At the HSE safety conference, ‘Leading from the top’, aimed at chief executives of major hazards industries, held on 29th April in London, Director General Chris Hunt officially launched the UKPIA Process Safety Leadership Commitment statement signed by all nine member companies.

Chris Hunt commented “UKPIA and its members recognise the critical importance of Process Safety for all operators in the downstream oil sector.

A strong performance in this area is key to protecting people and the environment, preventing uncontrolled releases of hazardous materials, and minimising the impact should a release occur. " He continued “Safety will continue to be the number one priority of our members both within their individual operations and at a sector level within the trade association. We will place additional emphasis on Process Safety to ensure that the sector becomes a leader in process safety excellence, building upon the work already done by the Buncefield Standards Task Force and its successor the Process Safety Leadership Group, chaired by Tony Traynor of INEOS”.

Enquiries: UKPIA Nick Vandervell, 0207 269 7604 or Chris Hunt, 0207 269 7601

Gilbarco Veeder-Root acquires Autotank Group BASILDON, UK – June 26, 2008 Gilbarco Veeder-Root has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the shares of Autotank Group of Tampere, Finland from Aspo PLC subject to customary closing conditions.

Autotank, previously a part of the Aspo Ventures Division, is a technology and services provider for fuel retailers in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Autotank is a leader in the design, production, marketing and sale of retail automation equipment including outdoor payment systems. In addition, the group provides extensive installation and maintenance services for fuel retail outlets across the region.

The company employs 320 people across multiple sites in Scandinavia,

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

Eastern Europe and Russia.

“The acquisition of Autotank provides an excellent addition to Gilbarco’s portfolio, enabling us to provide an even broader range of products and services in the region” said Peter Dilnot, Managing Director, Gilbarco VeederRoot, EMEA. “The combination of Autotank’s pioneering retail automation systems and comprehensive regional service network, coupled with Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s global technology leadership and development strength, will deliver outstanding value to fuel retailers.”

Gilbarco Veeder-Root has worked with Autotank for many years including supplying fuel dispensing products and payment components. “We already understand and value Autotank’s capabilities and the acquisition enables us to bring the best of both businesses fully together”, Dilnot stated. “We will provide world-class solutions leveraging Gilbarco’s global platforms and Autotank’s proven customer applications. Our solutions will also be backed-up by Autotank’s extensive field service network to deliver excellent operational performance in demanding Scandinavian and Eastern European environments.”

To reinforce the importance and strength of both brands in the market, the Autotank group of companies will be renamed “Gilbarco Autotank”. Peter Hutton, an experienced industry leader, will be appointed as Managing Director Gilbarco Autotank. Gilbarco Autotank will remain headquartered in Finland, while working closely with Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s EMEA team to deliver full customer benefits.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root is a global market leader in fueling and payment systems for convenience stores, hypermarkets and service stations.

Products include dispensers, payment systems, tank gauges, submersible pumps, point of sale systems, and remote monitoring of site functionality.

The Gilbarco Veeder-Root group of companies employs approximately 4,000 associates and is headquartered in Greensboro, NC, with manufacturing and research and development centres in Germany, Italy, UK, Denmark, U.S., India, Argentina, Brazil, China, Australia and Mexico.

Aspo PLC is a conglomerate providing products and services to the shipping, chemicals and other industries in the Scandinavian and Baltic regions.

For additional contact:

information

please

Gilbarco Veeder-Root John Tierney +44 1268 533090 or john.tierney@gilbarco.com

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23rd October Telford International Centre, UK Conference • Exhibition • Awards Dinner

APEA 2008 is returning to the Telford International Centre, which has been chosen for the second year running, to play host to the annual Exhibition, Conference and Awards. On the 23rd October, the doors will open to more than 300 delegates from oil companies, retailers, supermarkets, consultancies, contractors, regulators and suppliers, all signed up to take part in this year’s prestigious industry event.

conference and event program 0900 1000 1005

1230 1300 1400 1600 1930

Registration and exhibition opens Welcoming remarks from the APEA A Retailer’s Experience of VR stage II Implementation Chris Sherlock, Somerfield The Future for Energy: a focus on alternative fuels Andrew Pincott, Accenture Is this the Future of Petrol Retailing?

Building BP’s Helios House in Los Angeles Ross Shute, BP Global Alliance Questions and Answers Refreshments The Effects of BioFuels on Tank Systems: the US experience Lorri Grainawi, Steel Tank Institute Stage II: Countdown to Compliance How to stop stage II site safety problems Ed Wheeler, Eurotank Environmental Questions and Answers Closing Remarks Peter Dilnott, Gilbarco Veeder-Root Conference Closes Lunch AGM (Wenlock Suite - Registration at 1.30pm) Exhibition Closes Pre-dinner drinks sponsored by

2000

Awards dinner sponsored by

0100

Carriages

1020 1035

1050 1100 1130

1145

1215 1225

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

exhibiting companies Abfad Adler & Allan APEA Aqumen Freight Management Car Wash UK CSD Sealing Systems David Plumb & Co. David McLean Contractors D Berry & Co. Dresser Wayne Durapipe E&S Environmental Services EFS (UK) Elaflex Eurotank Environmental Fafnir Fairbanks Environmental Gilbarco Veeder-Root Global MSI Graphite Hytek Indigo Retail King Tanktechnic Ltd. LCM Environmental Ledbury Welding & Engineering Neston Tank Cleaners OAMPS UK Ltd. Petroman Environmental Services PetroTechnik Purfleet Forecourt Services Risbridger Safety Tank Control Norway Suresite Tanknology The Premier Group Tokheim (UK) Torex Toureen Mangan Veyance Technologies Europe 31

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the conference

•

sponsor

The clock is ticking for the countdown to Vapour Recovery Stage II compliance, and our conference kicks off with a presentation from Somerfield’s Chris Sherlock, who gives us a valuable insight into the retailer’s experience of this legislation.

Edward Wheeler of Eurotank Environmental, will also be covering this very pertinent subject with his presentation on how to stop Stage II site safety problems.

Edward Wheeler Eurotank Environmental

Another focus for the conference will be the ever-present green issue, and stepping up to the mark will be Accenture’s Andrew Pincott, who will talk to us about alternative fuels and address today’s hot topic of energy for the future. His presentation will cover current and future trends in the supply and demand for energy, and the implications they have on alternative energy, whilst considering the economic and geopolitical landscapes. He’ll look closely at what will need to be done to support our mobility in the future.

Andrew will be followed by Ross Shute of the BP Global Alliance, who is billed to speak about his involvement in the construction of Helios House, a

Andrew Pincott Accenture

state-of-the-art petrol station in Los Angeles, which was the first to be LEED certified in the United States (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Helios House is a working station whose primary focus is to

educate consumers on a responsible approach to the environment as well as to provide fuel for their vehicles. Working with architects who had never before designed a petrol station provided Ross with a project which, he says, was not without its challenges. It promises to be a fascinating and visual presentation which should appeal to the contractor, the regulator, the retailer and the supplier.

Whilst our attention is State-side, Lorri Grainawi, Director of Technical Ross Shute BP Global Alliance

Services at the Steel Tank Institute will take us through the US experience of the effects of bio-fuels on tank systems.

There will be a chance to fire some questions at the speakers at the end of the conference, and then Peter Dilnott of Gilbarco Veeder-Root, the conference sponsor, will close the proceedings.

Stephen Richards, Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s UK Regional Sales Director says, “This is the third year in a row that we have been proud to sponsor the APEA’s annual event, which we recognise as being key in facilitating the bringing together of individuals from all areas of the industry, nurturing

Lorri Grainawi The Steel Tank Institute 32

communication channels, and enabling all our businesses to grow and learn.”

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

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the awards...

Nominations for the APEA Industry Awards have kicked off to a good start. Entry forms and full details on the judging criteria can be obtained from Jane Mardell at admin@apea.org.uk. The closing date for nominations is 12th September. Categories include Innovation sponsored by Toureen Mangan, Customer Care sponsored by Torex, Health, Safety & Environment sponsored by Shell, Personal Contribution to Industry sponsored by Elaflex, Small Enterprises sponsored by the APEA, and Quality sponsored by Coteba.

Coteba is a market leader in the provision of project management services in the field of petrol retail in the UK and across Europe, and are delighted to be able to support the APEA in this area. “Why quality?”, asks Mark Goldsworthy of Coteba, “Quality is the cornerstone of all we do, not only in the products we deliver for our clients but in the people, processes and supply chain we use to deliver such products… We’re hoping that entrants from not only suppliers or manufacturers apply, but also that providers of services or processes be encouraged to enter too.”

dinner and entertainment...

The

evening’s

welcome

drinks,

sponsored

by

Eurotank

Environmental, will feature the sensational electric violinist, Sarah Tuke. Having recently toured with Take That, Sarah is the hottest act of her kind in the UK and will lend the APEA event a certain amount of glamour!

A multi-award winning line-up of comedians with an impressive clutch of TV and film credits to their names will be the entertainment at The Awards Dinner, which is sponsored by PetroTechnik.

A

Comedy Club-style evening featuring a consummate stand-up with acid wit, an Aussie with multiple personalities, an ex-championship boxer and the son of an East End villain should provide a hugely enjoyable and memorable evening.

If you haven’t booked your place at the dinner, contact annabel@downstream-events.com. Individual places are available at £80 per person + VAT – or tables of 10 or 12.

Don’t forget to book your accommodation!

Over 600 rooms of varying budget ranges have been

Energy Institute • supporter of APEA 2008

reserved for APEA delegates within a 10-minute drive of the conference centre. Rooms are being snapped up fast so early booking is advisable. To reserve your rooms, contact Event Links on 01952 281 561 and quote APEA .

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

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A taste of what’s on show...

Fuel storage and pollution control equipment from PFS PFS Ltd. is proud to be the leading company that specialises in the supply of pipe-work, valves, and leak detection systems to the fuel storage industry, which are designed to protect the environment from the accidental spillage or leaks of hydrocarbons.

Visitors to their stand will be able to view the COMpact modular fill and vent system, and the Risbridger modular tank top valve system, designed to raise installation standards and reduce the number of threaded joints used on fuel installations.

PFS will also be showing the Easyfit range of vacuum-tight, double-sided tank sump entry seals, vacuum sump testing and continuous electrical ducting.

Tokheim is the market leader in the design, manufacture and servicing of petroleum retailing solutions.

With the skills and capability to drive your business forward, Tokheim is dedicated to working with you and committed to building strong business partnerships.

Tokheim not only supply highquality petroleum retailing solutions with our extensive range of dispensers, accompanied by our 34

unbeaten payment solutions, but also recognise the need for delivering proficient forecourt maintenance. Our highly skilled network of remote engineers is on hand to maintain and repair all manner of faults found on today’s modern forecourt.

At Tokheim we are dedicated to delivering improved quality of service year on year. Whether you are building a service station from the ground up or renovating and upgrading an existing forecourt, Tokheim service specialists are onhand to work in partnership with you to deliver the best all round solution.

FAFNIR shows sensor technology for petrol stations At this year’s APEA, FAFNIR will once again present its highly innovative sensor technology for environmental protection at petrol stations. FAFNIR plans to display VAPORIX, the automatic monitoring system for active vapour recovery stage II that can be applied in all known active vapour recovery systems and dispensers; VISY-X, the highly accurate tank level gauge that is also available as a wireless version; and SEPARIX, the alarm system for separators that is suitable for all types of light liquids, especially for petrol and oil components.

FAFNIR GmbH in Hamburg, has been developing and producing filling sensors, over-fill prevention systems, vapour recovery monitoring systems, and continuous level measurement devices for the oil industry for more than 40 years. The close and trusting co-operation with customers is an important factor for putting innovative ideas into practice and thereby ensuring the functionality of the products.

David Plumb & Co is a leading specialist in forecourt demolition, decommissioning, de-contamination and fuel storage tank cleaning. Its enviable safety and environmental record is second to none.

The company is fully equipped for, and experienced in, all aspects of decommissioning fuel sites, including full building demolition, de-gassing of tanks, environmental surveying for soil contamination, excavation of tanks and pipework, decontamination of the ground and preparing the site for re-development.

Its expert operatives can safely de-gas tanks to

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

make them safe to work on, open them to remove sludge, and thoroughly clean the tanks.

Old above ground oil storage tanks can be cleanly cut up in situ and the pieces removed, without disrupting the building’s normal operation.

As much metal as possible is recycled, and any contamination that leaves the site only goes to a licensed disposal site.

All work is carried out to the highest safety and environmental standards by highly trained personnel.

CSD Sealing Systems have specialised in fire safe, gas and watertight sealing systems in the UK for over 15 years.

With close links to CSD International in the Netherlands, a company with over 35 years’ experience of development and production in this field, our clients can be assured of first class products and first class service, whatever their industry.

CSD are involved within many industries including the Petrochemical, Oil & Gas, Naval, General Construction and Utility sectors and have been involved with many high profile projects across the UK. At CSD, we realise the importance of keeping to budgets and time scales, and that is why we have developed systems which require few components and materials, helping to lower costs of both inventory and installation.

CSD products which include the RISE Duct Seal System have been extensively tested by all major worldwide classification societies and independent institutes, and are proven to ensure the highest standards of quality, safety, reliability and durability.

The RISE duct seal can provide a water and gastight seal for all cable and pipe duct entries up to a pressure of 4 bar and with the

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what’s on show... inclusion of our fire resistant sleeves will provide up to 4 hours of fire protection. The system ensures compliance with ATEX regulations and will prevent the migration of dangerous gases in hazardous areas. The system has also been tested and shown to suffer no deterioration in performance after contact or submersion in both diesel and petroleum.

Cookson & Zinn, a PetroTechnik subsidiary, has been designing and fabricating tanks and process vessels for over 45 years.

Over 20,000 tanks have been supplied to 48 countries and trading relationships involving the transfer of design and fabrication technology have been established with companies in Central America and South Africa. Tanks are used in many industries: fuel, chemical, food, pharmaceutical, agricultural, aviation, water and general manufacturing.

By combining CZ tanks with PetroTechnik pipework, CZ can offer the modular PetroFast system.

PetroFast is based on preengineered, pre-fabricated modular components incorporating storage tanks, pipework and associated equipment and can include canopies and pump bases. Each system is factory assembled, enabling rapid on-site installation, saving valuable time and money. For above ground storage, cylindrical or rectangular, from 1,000-100,000 litres, CZ offers a specifically tailored bunded unit or, if preferred, a more standard system, still offering cost effective solutions, but perhaps on a shorter lead time.

PetroTechnik’s fuel pipework solutions combine cutting edge technology with world class manufacturing standards consistently delivering excellent results.

Efficiency, reliability and cost effectiveness are key benefits of the UPP System providing long term leak

free performance. Carefully designed products ensure ease of installation requiring little or no ongoing maintenance. UPP is trusted by ‘blue-chip’ corporations including PetroChina, Sinopec, Shell, Exxon, BP, is internationally recognised as the industry standard, and approved for use in more countries than any similar product. The UPP System is a leak proof, underground pipework and containment system manufactured from high density polyethylene pipe and is available in a wide size range, in coils or straight lengths. All suction, pressure, vent, fill and vapour recovery lines can be installed using one type of pipe, making installation easier.

PetroTechnik also supplies a secondary containment system and a wide range of fittings, terminations, sumps, access chambers, manhole covers, leak detection equipment and specialist installation tools.

The David Mclean Retail Petroleum Division will be on hand to offer advice on all forecourt construction, shop construction and shop fit out planning and installation works.

David Mclean Retail Petroleum Division has been designing and building Petrol filling stations and associated retail premises for over thirty years. David Mclean Ltd has always been committed to providing a reliable open book service to all its clients and has won many awards in the retail and construction industries for the quality of the work.

Hytek offers customers a comprehensive back up service from sale and demonstration of the product to on-site commissioning.

Hytek is an official distributor of Goodyear forecourt equipment and UPP secondary contained pipework systems, for transferring diesel, petrol or Adblue® in underground applications.

They are one of the few, if not the only, company that stocks a 20 litre test can with weights & measures certificate available for next day delivery.

With two recent acquisitions, one in fuel installation services and another in fuel distribution, Adler and Allan continue their dynamic growth and capability to run nationwide maintenance and service contracts across a wide sector. They have also focused on achieving high levels of compliance, waste minimization, pollution prevention, environmental reporting and the ability to run a national response network. Adler and Allan have teams at over 20 depots and locations representing divisions in Spill Response, Fuel Installation & Tank Services, Separator (Interceptor) Services, Tank Cleaning, Fuel Distribution, Industrial Cleansing (Water Jetting) and Waste Management. In recognition of the major project works undertaken at Buncefield from Dec 05 onwards and during the Fuel Contamination Crisis in March 07 they have won the APEA Customer Service Award for two years running (2007/08).

Hytek will showcase various forecourt tools from hand wipes and absorbent pads to fuel pump tab link belting, Ridgid® wrenches and sheet gasket material. Other products include fuel resistant mastic and water and fuel finding paste. Also on display the industry standard ALPHA commercial diesel pump with integrated fuel management system.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

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The 2008 UK Petroleum Retailing Industry Awards The APEA is once again offering its members from every discipline a way of demonstrating and celebrating their commitment to Customer Service, Health, Safety and the Environment, Innovation, Quality, Personal Contribution to the Industry and a new award for Small Enterprises.

One of the best ways to raise standards is to recognise and reward those organisations, teams and individuals who lead the field and to encourage others to follow their good example.

The results of the Awards will be announced and trophies presented to the winners at the APEA 2008 Awards Dinner on 23rd October at the International Conference Centre, Telford.

The Awards Categories Nominations are sought from individual or corporate members who may enter under their organisation or work group, or as an individual for each of the six categories.

The APEA Innovation Award is presented for the innovation which will have the most significant impact on our industry sector.

Sponsored by Toureen Mangan The APEA Health, Safety and Environment Award is presented to the organisation with the best managed Health and Safety or Environmental programme or system Sponsored by Shell The APEA Customer Service Award is open to those organisations or individuals who have put the customer first and demonstrated excellence in service provision.

Sponsored by Torex The APEA Quality Award recognises excellence in the development and management of quality improvement initiatives or systems Sponsored by Coteba The APEA Personal Contribution to the Industry Award will be presented to the individual who has shown the greatest dedication and drive to improve standards, engineering practices or operational procedures Sponsored by Elaflex The APEA Small Enterprise Award acknowledges the contributions made by sole traders and businesses with less than 10 employees within the petroleum retailing sector often without the resources and infrastructure of the larger organisations Sponsored by APEA Please contact Jane Mardell at admin@apea.org.uk for an entry form, please specify which award you wish to enter so that the appropriate form can be emailed to you, before the deadline of 12th September 2008 36

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History of Petrol Filling Stations Part 7 The Early Petrol Stations

By Brian Baker “In researching this part of the series, I am aware that further or indeed more factual information may be available that is not in the hands of the author. If this be the case I would welcome this knowledge to be forwarded” With the introduction of mechanised vehicular transport, petroleum spirit came into greater demand as more and more cars took to the roads and the prospect, albeit mainly confined to the affluent classes, the popularity of the motor car gathered momentum.

On researching this article the earliest petrol filling (gas) station where a vehicle could be filled up from a pump served by a storage tank was actually constructed in the USA in 1907. It was located at 413 South Theresa Avenue in St Louis, Missouri and was operated by Clement Henry Laessing, an entrepreneur who started the World’s first oil retailer known as the Automobile Gasoline Company. A second site followed a year later in Market Street that saw growth all over the USA that eventually spread to Europe No photograph remains of the site except a very poor quality newspaper cutting but essentially it was a ship lapped wooden shed housing a hand pump connected by a steel pipe to a buried storage tank inside the structure.

I did check for information through the St Louis Mercantile library only to draw a blank, but I did get two newspaper articles informing of Laessing’s death on 1st April 1940.

Laessing started out as an office boy with a company known as the International Oil Works aged 18. He spent 15 years there and then formed a partnership with his employer when he conceived the idea of a “Drive-In” gas station. At the turn of 1940 he suffered a severe heart attack at his home which was a room in the Hotel Claridge in St Louis.

There have been claims that the first ever kerbside site was originally at Bath Road, Aldermaston on the Berkshire/Hampshire county borders in 1920. Operated by the Automobile Association (AA), a single photograph does exist showing a uniformed pump attendant serving a motorist which is claimed to have come into existence in 1920, according to the National Motor Museum in England (Figure 1).

Figure 1 AA site at Bath Road Aldermaston 1920

Mr Legge in 1918 and who now has his own Motor R e p a i r business in Wellington.

Another exemployee of M e s s r s .

Legge and Chamier is Mr F r a n k Haynes who still works at Betton House. Mr Helm stated that Mr Legge was now retired and living in Wltshire, was one of the great characters of Shrewsbury with his tall build and infectious laugh. His father was one-time Bishop of Lichfield. He was a very go-ahead man of his day, being closely connected with the Wolsey Company. At the Raven Garage he installed the first garage turn-table in

However, on studying old copies of the Bulletin journal a piece recorded in one of the very first issues in 1962 claims that the very first kerbside pump was in fact installed in Shrewsbury in 1912. Unfortunately no photograph exists though the article itself does give compelling evidence as I quote from Volume 1 of the Bulletin in 1962; “A paragraph in a Sunday paper recently caught my notice. It referred to a claim that the first pump used in Britain to feed petrol straight into tanks of customer’s cars, instead of entailing manhandling 2-gallon metal cans, was installed at the Shrewsbury Garage of Messrs.

Legge and Chamier in 1912.

Following it up, it was discovered that the garage referred to was at Betton House Abbey Foregate, now the site of the West Midland Motor Co. The 2,000 gallon underground tank for the pump is deep under the Service Manager’s Office, while Figure 2 First kerbside pump Legge & Co, Shrewsbury the pump site is marked by a slab of concrete at the pavement edge. the provinces, while at Betton House, The pump was supplied by the Bowser Legge & Co as the firm became known Co. of Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA and is after the break up of the partnership now in retirement in the Weights and with Chamier, had sold a tyre press for Measures Dept of the Borough of use with customer’s vehicles – such as Shrewsbury.

The pump has a capacity of one gallon per stroke, but it can be set by means of a stop lever to deliver smaller amounts. Apparently, Authority in those days doubted the accuracy of its delivery and someone was continually having to be sent down the manhole, to re-set the valves on a lifeline!

This was confirmed for the article by Mr Fred W. Helm, who went to work for Figure 3

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Figure 4

buses and other vehicles over 10 cwt – the first, we believe in the country” (Figure 2).

This short article seems to consolidate that fact that our first kerbside pump was installed in 1912 but over the next few years as car ownership grew, (Figures 3 & 4) kerbside pumps were being installed all over the country (Figures 5 and 6) and the type of pump that seemed the most common was the “Bowser” Pump, manufactured in the USA From this time of 1912, we see

Figure 7 Early diagram of a kerbside installation c191

Figure 5 Old site in The Shetland Isles

Figure 8 Early type of roadside pumps

steady growth in pump numbers as existing cycle and hardware shops decided to retail petrol as another commodity as the motor car began to make a more widespread presence.

Typically simple installations comprised of a single riveted steel rectangular tank, a short pipe run with the mechanical Hand Pump mounted on the surface (Figure 7).

The petrol station as we know had arrived and in the coming 50 years an enormous increase in outlet selling petrol (and latterly diesel) were to spring up, not just ion the UK, but across the

Figure 6 Early kerbside filling station

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Figure 9 Early Kerbside Site in Germany

world as global fixation and the love of driving a motor car became not just popular but essential.

Figure 10 Early kerbside pump Wimbledon next to a butcher's

Next time, The Rise of Petrol Stations.

Acknowledgements To Jamie

Thompson for figures 2, 7 and 10 from his private collection and to BP Archives for figures 5,6 and 8.

Testing Fireworks by Suffolk Trading Standards

By Carol Garrett, Suffolk Trading Standards Public safety is a clear priority for both the Health and Safety Commission and Local Authorities (LAs) and so for the past three years, Suffolk Trading Standards department has worked with the Health and Safety Executive and HS Laboratories in Buxton in a coordinated programme of sampling and testing fireworks. In recent years, a number of serious accidents involving fireworks at both organised public events and private events have been investigated and therefore, one of the key objectives of the project has been to provide some reassurance to both the public and the industry that steps are taken to reduce this risk.

Fireworks are imported into the UK in large quantities.

In 2007, 12,699,579.08kg of fireworks were imported to the UK of which 10,371,258.01kg (82%) arrived via the Felixstowe port from where they were subsequently redistributed throughout the UK to various storage sites prior to retail outlets.

Organising sampling and testing of fireworks at the point of import both reduces the risk of duplication of sampling by LAs and reduces the risk of failing to intercept and test hazardous or

miss-classified fireworks before they are redistributed across the UK retail outlets.

Firework testing is undertaken for 2 main regulatory purposes: 1. Hazard classification using the UN scheme for transport of dangerous goods to determine what class of explosive they conform to 2. Consumer safety against the requirements of BS7114 (BS EN 17035) and the current Fireworks (Safety) Regulations for use by the general public.

The consumer protection testing also offers a valuable and effective approach to assessing the likelihood of noncompliance with the information provided for classification (a major concern to HSE), particularly failures to meet restrictions imposed by the explosives inspectorate in the form of a default classification list (derived from a series of incidents) and which restricts fireworks by size or composition to reduce storage hazards in licensed premises.

The results from programme are

the testing immediately

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disseminated to other relevant enforcement agencies for further action and/or for information.

This has resulted in fireworks being withdrawn from sale. Monitoring the import of fireworks has also identified shipments on their way for import where appropriate classification has not been obtained and which therefore resulted in the Port authorities refusing to allow the ship to berth.

Results in 2007 were not dissimilar to those for 2006 as the following figures for last year show: 160 import entries were seen 276 samples were selected, including selection boxes 168 fireworks were tested 143 (85%) were correct While 15% of samples tested failed, it has to be recognised that 85% passed.

The project group felt this provided some reassurance to the industry. The project also provided an important assessment of the state of the market.

For further information, contact Carol Garrett at Suffolk Trading Standards.

Tel: 01473 264890 or email carol.garrett@tradstan.suffolkcc.gov.uk 43

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Interview with Ray King of King Tanktechnic

By Brian Baker Within our downstream industry we have some very colourful and experienced individuals. One such character is Ray King, a Co Director of King Tanktechnic. I was able to track Ray down recently to ask him about his career and company and to get a take on his outlook of where we are going I have known you some years now, how did you get into the “petroleum” business?

I started to serve my time at the age of 15 as an apprentice fabricator/welder. I was working in a fabricating shop and on site work in the field of oil, petrochemical and heavy industries. My experience was mainly “upstream” until the age of 52. I am now 68 years of age.

So where have your experience been over this long career?

As above but working on overseas contracts as an engineering manager for multinational oil companies + fabrication and heavy engineering construction companies.

My duties varied between refineries, power stations etc the last two being a water treatment & bottling plant in the Maldives and being the Principal Fuel Storage Engineer for the Saudi Consolidated Electric Company in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

I was responsible for system maintenance, fuel procurement and distribution to 28 gas turbine power stations. The fuel was stored in some 66 bulk storage tanks. This involved me in the handling of around 25 million barrels of crude and diesel oil per year.

My main fuel movement contractor operated around fifteen hundred 85 tonne road tankers (A little bit bigger than the 40 tonners in Europe!)

How did King Tanktechnic start and for that matter. Why? After about eight years in Saudi, I woke up one morning and asked myself “What am I doing here?” I also wanted to spend some time with my aged mother before she passed on I looked at employment in the UK but decided to adopt the German method of retail tank cleaning and testing and start my own business.

I started King Tanktechnic with my son Stephen who had also just returned from working in Saudi.

We built our first tank service unit ourselves and to this day it is still the pride of the fleet.

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Just go through the various services you offer with perhaps a little explanation of each?

King Tanktechnic is the sole UK representative/applicator of the ADISA tank lining system.

This system is the only system to have European Approvals and a proven 30+ years reliability record.

We are equipped to undertake any UK work connected with fuel storage tanks including uplifts, transfers, cleaning, inspection and relining.

If my memory serves me well it is basically a family business, is that right?

Yes myself and Stephen King as co directors and our wives Jean & Kai work in the administration side of the business.

Tell me some of the more interesting projects you and the company have been involved with?

In addition to the run of the mill tankage contracts we are involved in, we have been asked to convert a 45,000 litre underground petrol storage tank to a split compartment vessel for a large car importing company. They needed to store diesel and petrol but didn’t have the available space for another tank.

My experience in fabricating and welding proved invaluable when we made a baffle in pieces small enough to pass through the manway and then built and installed it inside the tank.

One area you are very well versed in is corrosion of underground tanks. For perhaps a newer readers, can you briefly describe some of the various types of corrosion you have encountered?

Well the most common form of corrosion we find is Microbial induced. It is our experience that 90% of corrosion of UST’s is from the inside out not as the common belief, from the outside to the inside. We almost without exception find it within the sludge line of the tank.

I have written papers explaining the subject in an easy to understand format which have been published. They can be found, downloaded and printed from our website, www.kingtanktechnic.co.uk Microbiological corrosion is fairly new to the downstream industry though commonly known in the marine industry for year. Could you outline some of the tell-tale signs and how this phenomena starts in the first place?

The first sign is usually the blocking of filters with a slimy deposit, usually a sludgy brown in colour. The reason for it is (In very basic brief terms) is that micro biological organisms live in the atmosphere and are drawn into tanks through the vents when fuel is dispensed. They live and grow in the interface between fuel and water at the bottom of the tanks.

Any living organism which feeds must of course excrete and it is these excretions which form a type of acid which in turn corrode the metal of the tank shell.

What has been the most spectacular tank failure you have been involved with and what was its impact?

Petrol tank leakage going undetected during two delivery fills which were lost into the ground. Unfortunately the station was located in a town centre which had to be closed just prior to the Christmas shopping period.

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Articles It saddens me to see in a boating magazine recently that a main contractor was fined £12,000 for pumping water contaminated with oil and silt into a brook during their work “Trying to improve environmental safety at a service station” No control – Cost cutting!

What is new in the Company?

Well, not new to KTL/Adisa but new to the UK market – The double skin lining of existing above ground bulk storage tank bottoms with an interstitial monitoring system.

Those Fleet Vehicles of yours look impressive, what is on board?

We have a quotation on the wall of all of our offices. It was said by Red Adair whilst standing near a burning oil field in Kuwait. We think it is very true.

aspects of retail industry tank cleaning, inspection and lining to avoid the obviously possible disastrous impact on our environment and public safety.

“IF YOU THINK IT IS EXPENSIVE TO EMPLOY A PROFESSIONAL TO DO THE JOB, WAIT UNTIL YOU HIRE AN AMATUER!”

Thank you, we like to think they are impressive. Think “Fire Engine” They are fitted with everything needed to uplift and transfer fuel, do tank cleaning with inbuilt vacuum pumps, transfer pumps (Vane and Blagden types) air compressor, water jetting equipment, vapour recovery and high level venting.

They also carry full P.P.E. to undertake all tasks in the manner laid down in our approved work instructions and procedures Where do you see the industry going over the next 5 to 10 years?

Much the same as now, the blind leading the blind with finance being the aim and not as it should be – safety.

If you had the choice, what is the biggest thing you would change in our industry?

More control of the methods of undertaking the most dangerous Enough of work, when you are not “in the thick of it” what do you do to relax?

I live in a bungalow with a large garden that backs on to the Bridgewater canal.

I have an 80 foot mooring so it has to be gardening and boats!

I am working to complete the transformation of a 24 foot off shore cruiser into a canal “Gin Palace” This has been an ongoing project for a number of years.

Ray, it has been a pleasure and I see you are exhibiting at our Annual Conference as usual. I am sure many of us will drop by for a chat and maybe I will scrounge a coffee off you when I reach your Stand!!

Many thanks for talking to us and best wishes for the future

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Articles THE ASSOCIATION FOR PETROLEUM AND EXPLOSIVES ADMINISTRATION

Company Number: 2261660

ABBREVIATED ACCOUNTS

For the year ended 31 December 2007

I N D E X (page 1) Page No: 1

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE COMPANY

2

ABBREVIATED BALANCE SHEET

3/4 NOTES TO THE ABBREVIATED ACCOUNTS

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE ASSOCIATION FOR PETROLEUM AND EXPLOSIVES ADMINISTRATION UNDER SECTION 247B OF THE COMPANIES ACT 1985 We have examined the abbreviated accounts set out on pages 2 to 4, together with the financial statements of The Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration for the year ended 31 December 2007 prepared under Section 226 of the Companies Act 1985.

This report is made solely to the company, in accordance with Section 247B of the Companies Act 1985. Our work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company those matters we are required to state to it in a special auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIRECTORS AND THE AUDITOR The directors are responsible for preparing the abbreviated accounts in accordance with Section 246 of the Companies Act 1985.

It is our responsibility to form an independent opinion as to whether the company is entitled to deliver abbreviated accounts prepared in accordance with Sections 246(5) and (6) of the Act to the Registrar of Companies and whether the accounts to be delivered are properly prepared in accordance with those provisions and report our opinion to you.

BASIS OF OPINION We have conducted our work in accordance with Bulletin 2006/3 “The special auditor’s report on abbreviated accounts in the United Kingdom” issued by the Auditing Practices Board. In accordance with that Bulletin we have carried out the procedures we consider necessary to confirm, by reference to the financial statements, that the company is entitled to deliver abbreviated accounts and that the abbreviated accounts to be delivered are properly prepared. The scope of our work for the purpose of this report did not include examining or dealing with events after the date of our report on the financial statements.

OPINION In our opinion the company is entitled to deliver abbreviated accounts prepared in accordance with Sections 246(5) and (6) of the Companies Act 1985, and the abbreviated accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with that provision.

ENSORS Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors 46 St Nicholas Street IPSWICH IP1 1TT 4 June 2008 46

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Articles ABBREVIATED BALANCE SHEET (page 2)

As at 31 December 2007 Note

2007 £

2006 £

2

1,349

1,206

73,974

62,241

270,201

228,255

344,175

260,496

CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year

114,720

93,264

NET CURRENT ASSETS

229,455

197,232

NET ASSETS

230,804

198,438

8,840

8,840

Profit and loss account

221,964

189,598

MEMBERS’ FUNDS

230,804

198,438

FIXED ASSETS Tangible Assets

CURRENT ASSETS Debtors Cash at bank and in hand

CAPITAL AND RESERVES Capital reserve

These abbreviated accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part VII of the Companies Act 1985.

Approved by the board on 23 May 2008 and signed on its behalf:

M J Silmon Director

The notes on pages 3 and 4 form part of these financial statements.

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Articles NOTES TO THE ABBREVIATED ACCOUNTS (page 3) For the year ended 31 December 2007

1.

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

a)

Basis of Accounting The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Small Entities (effective January 2007).

b)

Tangible Fixed Assets Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off the cost of each asset over its estimated useful life: Computer and Office Equipment Fixtures and Fittings

– 33 1/3% on cost – 25% Reducing Balance

c)

Foreign Currencies Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the rate ruling at the date of the transaction. All differences are taken to the profit and loss account.

d)

Cash Flow Statement The company qualifies as a small company under the Companies Act 1985. The directors have elected to take advantage of the exemption under FRS1 not to prepare a cash flow statement.

e)

Financial instruments Financial instruments are classified and accounted for, according to the substance of the contractural arrangement, as either financial assets, financial liabilities or equity instruments. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.

NOTES TO THE ABBREVIAED ACCOUNTS (page 4) For the year ended 31 December 2007

2.

TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS Computer & Office Equip £

3.

Fixtures & Fittings £

Total £

Cost At 1 January 2007 Additions Disposals At 31 December 2007

5,119 449 5,568

4,938 741 5,679

10,057 1,190 11,247

Depreciation At 1 January 2007 Charge for the year Disposals At 31 December 2007

4,571 698 5,269

4,279 350 4,629

8,850 1,048 9,898

Net Book Value At 31 December 2007

299

1,050

1,349

At 31 December 2006

547

659

1,206

COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE The company is limited by guarantee. In the event of the company being wound up, each member has undertaken to contribute such amount as may be required, but not exceeding £1, to the assets of the company.

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From a Tank Manufacturers Perspective!

By Mike Knight, Cookson & Zinn (PTL) Ltd Introduction For nearly 50 years Cookson and Zinn (PTL) Ltd has been manufacturing storage tanks and pressure vessels in all shapes and sizes, for storing a vast range of products, at their factory in Hadleigh, Suffolk.

Although the larger proportion of their business is now involved in making above ground tanks, they are still more widely known as the UK`s leading manufacturer of underground petrol and diesel storage tanks including their own PetroFast modular tank system.

The quality of their double skin tanks is well known throughout UK, Europe and beyond, but the precise manufacturing processes may not be known to everybody.

Commercial Director Mike Knight says “At each stage in the production cycle the standard of workmanship is assessed and verified before proceeding further” Shown below is a brief introduction into how these double skin tanks are made.

Plate Utilisation The beginning of the production process. All new, certified steel plates, cut to close tolerances by the suppliers, are stacked ready for the rolling process. Vacuum lifting equipment is used to lift and place each individual sheet in the plate rolls. The importance of receiving material cut by the suppliers to very exacting tolerances cannot be overstated prior to the assembly and welding of the tank.

and the ring is then closed hydraulically.

Each subsequent wrapper is assembled to the previous one, and welded internally using submerged arc.

The alignment of the tank seams is extremely precise and much better than could ever be achieved by manual methods. This alignment will prevent much of the potential stresses which can occur through bad mis-alignment

Tank Fit Out After the external welding is complete the manway and any additional brackets are fitted.

Testing The inner tank is air tested in accordance with EN 12285 part 1 Skinning Process The skin plates and skin heads are assembled to the inner tank, tack welded and then moved to the submerged arc welding machine for welding.

The skin plates are overlapped by a minimum of 50 m/m.

Wrapper Rolling Each wrapper is rolled and welded longtitudinally whilst on the rolls before proceeding to the Deuma assembly.

Submerged Arc Welding Following assembly and internal welding the semi completed inner tank is moved to the external submerged arc machine where the circumferential and longtitudinal seams are welded.

The completed welds are not only faster and technically superior but provide a smooth even bead to allow subsequent painting operations to proceed without additional surface preparation.

Skin Testing Following sub arc welding of the skin, the welds are tested by air and then if a liquid system of leak detection is being used the space is filled with monopropylene glycol anti- freeze which has corrosion inhibitors, low temperature properties and is environmentally friendly.

This filling process provides a double check on the integrity of the double skin.

Blast Cleaning The tanks are then ready to be blast cleaned to SA2.5 to remove mill scale and any surface rust. It is fundamental to the effectiveness of the coating that the correct degree of surface cleanliness is achieved and the blast

Deuma Assembly This assembly method is the key to providing a tank which needs to have maximum concentricity and straightness.

The machine is called a Deuma, named after the manufacturer, and each wrapper is slid along the roller bed

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Articles profile is correct prior to applying the paint.

External Painting The most frequently used external coating in the UK for underground tanks is Endoprene solvent free polyurethane.

This is applied to a minimum 800 microns dry film thickness generally whilst the tank is rotating on a specially designed rig.

Following application the thickness is checked and a 100% pin hole check is carried out.

Should there be any areas needing repair these are done to a strict repair procedure.

Bunded Storage Units – FuelBank CZ is a major supplier of bunded storage units with their own product called FuelBank.

All these units comply with the Control of Pollution regulations and can be supplied with end security cabinet and as many facilities and systems as the client may require.

Cement Vessels For transportation of dry powder products including cement allowing easier movement and dispensing.

Base Frame Assembly – Optional Extra BP has taken the base frame assembly as standard on all their tanks for a number of years and this system received the BP safety innovation award 2006. The assembly consists of a steel frame and cradles, re-bars and mesh, fully rated holding down straps offloading slings and guide ropes.

The installation is easier and quicker and has major safety benefits.

These benefits are encouraging and increasing numbers of customers are including this assembly with their underground tank installations.

Framed Tanks Tanks can be supplied as complete ISO framed units or frames designed specifically for ease of transportation and stacking.

Where a quantity of tanks is required, particularly for export the framed units are the perfect choice.

Drilling Mud Storage Manufactured for bulk storage of drilling fluids. Located on the quayside and available for fluid transport to the offshore rigs for drill lubrication.

Aviation Fuel Tanks CZ is the leading supplier of shop fabricated single skin and double sin tanks for the storage of JET A1, Avtur, OTHER PRODUCTS SHOWING THE VERSITILITY OF CZ LPG Vessels From 4 tonne to 30 tonne above ground LPG vessels for industrial or forecourt use. Supplied fully kitted out with sophisticated external paint system.

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Marine Buoys Fabricated heavy duty vessels for navigational use, kitted out by the client with all the latest sophisticated equipment.

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Articles Avgas and many of the military grades of fuel. They can also offer a complete aviation fuel system on request.

sister company, PetroTechnik Ltd. has a UPP Systems product demonstration

Stainless Steel Tanks From the very simple chemical storage tank to the sophisticated process reactor vessel CZ can design and build to clients specification.

Segregated manufacturing facilities ensures no cross contamination between carbon and stainless steel plate.

Demonstration Area for UPP pipework, chambers, equipment.

APEA 50th Anniversary Meeting and Visit to Cookson and Zinn Factory.

The APEA Eastern branch visited Cookson and Zinn as part of their 50th anniversary meeting in June. Meeting delegates were given an introduction to the company from Managing Director Geoff Lee before being taken on a guided tour of the factory to see for themsleves exactly how a CZ tank is manufactured.

Interestingly, Cookson and Zinn’s

area set up in the factory yard showing a full petrol station underground fuel system. This is complete with mock CZ tanks buried in pea-shingle, UPP tanktop manhole chambers and UPP pipework in various diameters for the fill lines, vent lines, vapour recovery lines (stage I and II), electrical duct lines and product pipe-lines in both pressure system configuration (featuring double wall pipework and UPP dispenser sumps) and suction system configuration.

The latest UPP electrofusion tank chambers were being showcased on the site; these two-piece Polyethylene chambers have a base section which can be installed onto a tank and be fully

tightness tested at the yard in CZ before arriving on site.

Pipe penetrations into the chambers are made using UPP electrofusion entry seals. These utilise the same pipejointing electrofusion technology which PetroTechnik introduced into the retail fuel industry in 1991and which has since become well known and well proven throughout the world.

The visitors were interested to learn how the UPP entry seals capitalise on the synergies of having pipework, seals and tank chambers all made from PE material – The UPP Entry seals simply electrofuse to the wall of the chamber and the outside of the pipe electrofuses to the entry seal itself as it passes through.

Once all the pipe connections have been made into the chamber base the riser section is placed on top and the two are electrofused together. This creates one homogenous, vapour and liquid tight unit with no mechanical seals or exposed metallic or rubber parts to come loose or degrade over time.

Also on display was a UPP vacuum test unit which allows all sumps, chambers, spill boxes etc on site to be tested after installation - giving the site owner total peace of mind that the entire system is leak tight and is not going to let any product out or ground water in.

All those who attended the tour found it very interesting and insightful. If you would like to learn more about Cookson and Zinn and PetroTechnik and would like to tour the factory and demo area yourself, then please call 01473 825200 for CZ and 01473 243300 for PetroTechnik.

What is SELCOG?

By Brian Baker Within the industry we tend to use numerous acronyms and the term SELCOG is another one of these. The term means the South & East Licensing Co-ordinating Group and represents one of seven regions of Regulatory Petroleum Authorities in the United Kingdom.

The group comprises of representatives of 31 Petroleum Licensing Authorities and invitations for a representative extend to the Petrol Retailers Association, UK Petroleum Industries Association and the Environment Agency.

The purpose of the group is to: • Rationalise enforcement through a consistent approach • Provide a forum for topical discussions • Evaluate systems of enforcement, new innovations and techniques • Provide representation to the National Petroleum Enforcement Liaison Group (PELG) as well as feeding into this Group and receiving National Policies • Undertake occasional surveys for statistical and monitoring activities Whilst all Member Licensing

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Authorities follow National Guidance, European & British Standards and PETEL Circulars there are occasions where interpretations or best practice is called for outside this national guidance framework and consequently the group have their Consistency of Policy Document which is reproduced here.

These are then often embraced into the national scene when major revisions take place.

The group meet on the first Friday of March, June, September and December, it is always well attended and supported by all concerned.

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SELCOG - Consistency in Policy This SELCOG Consistency in Policy guidance is intended to assist member Petroleum Licensing Authorities and help deliver the stated aim of SELCOG "To facilitate consistency in enforcement across PLA's" PLA's have responsibility for enforcement of: Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Petroleum (Regulation) Acts 1928 + 1936 Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 Public Health Act 1961, section 73 in their areas.

The above legislation lays down the legal requirements for Petroleum licensees - those storing and dispensing. It also specifies requirements for making safe former petrol storage tanks.

To support the industry and regulators in this area with interpretation of these legal requirements there are a number of recognised "guides". These include • Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Approved Codes of Practice (ACoPs) • HSE Local Authorities Enforcement Liaison Committee PETEL's • The EI/APEA's guide "Design, Construction, Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations" (the "Blue Book") • Pollution Prevention Guides (PPG's) and other guidance from the Environment Agency • Defra guidance.

The following SELCOG Consistency in Policy document has been prepared and agreed by SELCOG member Authorities to give guidance in those areas where there is no other existing guidance."

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Policy No.

Date of Meeting

Subject

Policy

01/02

06 June 2002 06 Sept 2002

Water filling of storage tanks

Tanks not in use can be water filled for up to 3 years provided they are reviewed at least annually. Liquid sealing of disused tanks should be accepted only as a short-term measure.

02/02

02 Sept 2002

Capacity of Storage Tanks

The safe capacity of tanks for which a licence has been issued shall be quoted as 97% of the nominal capacity.

03/03

07 March 2003

View of forecourt/parking

Building of car parking in circumstances which would cause the parked cars to obliterate kiosk operators’ view of dispensing activities is unacceptable unless additional control measures are in place. (See PETEL 65/59a)

04/04

05 March 2004

Single-skinned tanks

Single skinned tanks are unacceptable in a new site.

However they may be acceptable on existing sites (and therefore be able to be lined) taking into account leak detection, alarms, wetstock monitoring etc.

05/04

11 June 2004

Anti-static clothing

In respect of competent persons working in hazardous areas, the only requirement for anti-static clothing is in respect of footwear and in some cases, jackets, subject to a risk assessment.

06/04

11 June 2004

Tank and line testing

Routine pressure testing of tanks and lines is not required.

Such testing only applies where either no wetstock monitoring is done or where a potential leak has been identified.

Dispensers on some non-retail sites are not fitted with totalisers and may require a different approach on a site by site basis.

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Articles Policy No.

Date of Meeting

Subject

Policy

07/04

3 September 2004

Method Statements by Site Contractors

PLAs should only comment on the suitability of method statements or risk assessments relating to construction work on filling stations in relation to those aspects for which the PLA has enforcement responsibility (i.e. dispensing activities).

All other matters are for comment by the HSE/EHOs.

08/04

3 December 2004

Mobile Phones on Forecourts

In relation to Para 11 of PTEL 65/59a, the use of mobile phones on a forecourt is allowed except in hazardous areas.

09/06

9 June 2006

Backfilling of new storage tanks

New tanks should be backfilled with pea shingle unless a risk assessment suggests that pea shingle is not appropriate, when concrete can be used (e.g. where the tank is near water). BS EN 12285 (part 1) refers.

10/06

9 June 2006

Storage of fireworks

PLAs may authorise the storage of fireworks on petrol stations but this should only be done subject to a satisfactory site-bysite risk assessment. Consultation with the appropriate enforcing authority on any risk assessment produced could also prove beneficial in reaching a decision.

11/07

2 March 2007

Purchase of petrol in large quantities

Where contractors wished to purchase large quantities of petrol, for use in fuel generators for a construction project for example, large (exceeding 25 litres) or multiple approved container filling would only be permitted after an appropriate risk assessment under Reg 5 of DSEAR had been carried out and the results of the assessment implemented.

PLAs may also append special conditions such as: 1. Coning off the area to restrict general access 2. Dispensing to take place into suitable (approved) containers and on the ground to avoid static build up 3. The operation to be regarded as a workplace operation (so DSEAR applies)

12/07

8 June 2007

Electrical Certificates

A copy of the electrical certificate is to be kept on site. The licensee will not be asked to forward a copy; Equipment in a hazardous area is to be tested at least annually; If there is no expiry date on the certificate, it is assumed to be valid for a period of one year from the date of issue; Any advice from a ‘competent person’, such as an electrician, is to be followed. If a ‘competent person’ states that a test is required after a particular period (2 years, 5years etc) then this advice should be accepted.

Liaison with Environmental Health Officers may be beneficial.

13/07

8 June 2007

Interceptor Maintenance

Interceptors need to be cleaned out after every spillage and then generally on a yearly basis. However, each site is different and appropriate periods for maintenance should be identified by risk assessment.

14/08

7 March 2008

Notification of incidents (licence condition)

A ‘crossover’ is a notifiable incident under this standard licence condition as it generates some form of uplift which affects the safety of a site.

15/08

9 June 2008

Isolation Switches

An isolating button which forms part of a display on a forecourt video screen is not a suitable alternative to a proper isolating button for each control point in the vast majority of cases.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

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Articles

APEA Training in Oman

By Brian Baker The Association is again making its presence felt in countries outside the

while we were carrying out site inspections.

UK and on this occasion has recently

Presentations were delivered mainly

carrying out training in the Sultanate of

in power point format, with a few video

Oman.

clips, and included site based risk

Presentation of the Mayor of Milton Keynes' Plaque to Sali Al-Bursadi, Product Engineering Manager

population to nearly 2 million people with around 300 Filling Stations serving the whole country. By the nature of its location, the country itself is an oil Typical Modern Omani Shell Filling Station - 1

The task was to deliver 3 special courses adapted to their needs: Petrol Filling Stations – Construction, Safety & Environmental Awareness, Petrol Filling Stations – Electrical Installations Petrol Filling Stations – Audit, Inspection and Risk Assessment And

these

were

successfully

delivered over a 5 day period.

The three trainers involved received a very warm reception from our hosts Shell Oman Oil which almost matched the weather which was a very hot 46° C

Delegate Photo - On Site

assessments and

producer which exports all across the

site inspections. It

world. It is inevitable that fuel per litre is

was

around 20p (converting to the UK price)

heartening

that the delegates had no problem in

great swathes of desert and rocky hills

in

that are very sparsely populated. The

and

capital, Muscat, is where the training

understood all oral

took place at Shell’s own air conditioned

and

training suite in its large distribution

test

papers

English

written

communications.

54

That said the country is huge with

their

answering

Typical Site - 2

at the pump.

Oman

has

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

terminal. Here they also fill around 120 a

tankers daily, 24 hours a day.

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Articles Drainage systems are not usually installed, although some recent sites have been constructed to provide some form of spillage control. However such developments are in their infancy. That said there is a cocktail of standards between UL, EN and British Standards that are applied to the construction of sites.

For me it was the first visit to Oman, and

for

Gareth

Bourhill,

Jamie

Thompson and myself it was a delightful experience.

Was the APEA training presence effective? – we think so as the deluge of questions that followed both during and after

suggested

Gareth Bourhill training on his feet

Oman has an expanding economy

installed in the

and has numerous large construction

main sites and

projects that have either been recently

the development

completed or still under construction

of

with more infrastructure on the way in

convenience

the form of new roads, towns etc.

store is starting to

The network of petrol stations is new

by European Standards and there are next 12 months for Shell alone.

Underground tanks are double wall

make

that

the

attending

19

The sites are all

high

fuel

throughput

with

attended service as it is felt that

piping has changed from steel to plastic

self service is not

in recent years and leak detection is

appropriate

provided

the

systems. Vapour recovery stage 1b is

presentations

its

with European design. Underground

pumping

the

presence known.

steel and locally made in accordance

pressure

of

the

another 8 sites still to be built within the

on

many

for

Omani

customer.

Shell Oman Training Venue

delegates achieved a lot of useful technical information and this was reflected in the very high test results following each course.

I was able to present to the product engineering manager, Salim Al-Busardi a plaque on behalf of the mayor of Milton Keynes, my employer and on conclusion we each received from Salim a beautiful framed Silver Dagger that symbolises Oman I am hoping our new made friends (now members of the APEA) begin a long partnership with the Association that maybe one day a Branch may even be formed.

Remote Site in Oman

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

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Articles

Short History of Petrol Retailing

By Stuart Howell How often do we say ‘where did the years go’? I’m thinking of that as I reflect on the last 50 or so looking over the retail fuels petrol marketing scene.

Contrary to popular belief, unlike Jamie Thompson, I wasn’t around for all of that time – but there are a few historic foundation stones of the early market place that cannot go unmentioned.

The AA built the first ‘real’ petrol station in Aldermaston in 1920. Before that, petrol was sold mainly from blacksmith’s forges in 2 gallon cans.

Drivers travelling away from home used to carry spare full ones strapped outside their cars . But I won’t dwell on the longer term history, because ‘marketing’ in our industry didn’t come into its own until after the Second World War. You can easily believe that the retail oil market was not always as competitive as it is now. The biggest problem for oil companies in those early years, not long after the war in the 1950’s, was counting their money.

Nowadays the biggest problem, in the retail market, is finding enough to count!!

Few of you reading this may know that immediately following the end of the Second World War, food and clothing weren’t the only things to be rationed – so were new cars. The British motor industry was only allowed to sell 100,000 cars a year. Hardly a growing market for the oil industry to target in order to increase profits. If you wanted a new car at that time, you joined a three year waiting list, and by the time the car arrived you’d forgotten you’d ordered it!

A ‘Pool Petrol’ scheme operated – all fuel manufacturers ‘pooled’ their products so there were no individual fuel brands to distinguish one from another. Fuel rationing to the public also applied, so again, there were no real incentives to inspire oil companies to 58

actively market their products.

The big ‘kick off’ so to speak, was in 1950 when pool fuel and rationing were both abolished, as were the barriers to car ownership. Individual oil brands began to ‘politely’ entice independent petrol station owners, as they all were in those days, to stock and sell only their brand of fuels. Although some companies were willing to share forecourt representation with other brands in order to try to please as many ‘choosey’ motorists as possible. This was called S e l e c t e d Representation and was the platform from which branded fuels were marketed and it’s this platform that we have grown to know and love today.

However, at just about the time that the APEA was incorporated in 1958, the oil companies started to think that sharing facilities with others was inhibiting their businesses. It was time to stand alone and create their own identities for customers, both site owners and motorists, to warm to. The era of competition and marketing was borne into the industry.

New personal freedoms and the green shoots of affluence led to people wanting to spread their wings and ‘Getaway’ getaway’ from memories of the war and the relative drudgery that followed it. The major oil companies developed products such as Esso Golden and Super Shell, with advertising and promotions to match which said to motorists ‘we are the best at helping you getaway – with good products. ‘ National Benzole based their appeal on open top sports cars, masculine men (Mr Mercury) and pretty

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

girls. The snag with all of this was an unintentional emphasis on speed. The result was that the emergency services were having to cope with a growing road accident rates, (no seat belts, safety cages or breathalysers then), – especially at Bank Holidays.

But eventually the benefits of different fuels gave way to the promotional scene – especially free giveaways, which had many attractive features.

Firstly, the strongest marketing word is ‘FREE’. Secondly, when customers are focussed on collecting points or prizes, they pay little attention to the price of fuel, (or even the actual Brand of fuel).

Thirdly, many motorists in the UK drove company cars and their employers paid for their petrol – so they are not preoccupied by price. Although at one time during a particularly severe ‘price war’, it was suggested in BP that we

bought our fuel from competitors because of the high level of price subsidies we had to pay to our own BP sites!

Following its great success in Canada, the first free giveaways to reach our market were drinking glasses, of varying types. One per 4 gallons purchased. They were a great success, not only because they were free, but because they were a stock item required by every household – and they were breakable, so demand was constant!

Promotional schemes became more and more sophisticated, although in BP we had the simple adage when choosing a new promotional item to please customers – ‘Never come out of the kitchen or fail to please the kids’ – in effect, we tried to emulate the days when men were food hunters and delighted the family when they brought something home, (to the ‘cave’!), for them to enjoy! (In those

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Articles days wives and were the ‘real’ bosses, not so different from today!)

But, without doubt, the most successful UK retail fuels marketing campaign, was Shell’s Make Money.

Launched in 1966 and repeated in 1984, it was based on having to match a left and right hand half of a paper voucher, collected at the time of visits to Shell sites. Only one half was given at each visit, but when exactly matched with each other they represented varying monetary prizes of up to £100 in cash - worth a lot more then than it is now.

years is undoubtedly t h e introduction of fuels self service to forecourts.

Although originally introduced to help reduce site operating costs, it soon became the platform on

National Benzole had a long running campaign for collecting Smurf figures, still current in some mainland European countries. BP had a ground breaking scheme connected with the TV show Dallas, where the main prize was a walk on part in an episode filmed in California. There were numerous other schemes across the industry. Scratch card campaigns were very popular, until one oil company mistakenly printed a preponderance of winning cards and had to withdraw the scheme at very short notice!

Eventually voucher collection schemes were replaced by the more efficient, (and controllable), electronic points systems which in turn have now given way to electronic ‘loyalty’ schemes which also specialise in assembling customer information which in turn is used to better ‘meet their needs’.

Most promotional campaigns like Make Money & Free Glasses etc. were ‘tactical’- they run for relatively short periods of time. In comparison, the most successful ‘strategic’ campaign, i.e. part of a company’s foundation, is Esso’s ‘Tiger in your Tank ‘. Launched in 1964, it is still around today in various formats.

Mention the word ‘Tiger’ in relation to petrol or diesel to anyone and 99.9% will immediately connect it with Esso.

However, the outstanding marketing feature of the industry over the last 40

which to base even more marketing activities. The principal accelerant to the industry wide acceptance of Self Service was the presence of Green Shield stamps at that time. These were greatly valued by customers and oil companies alike. They were not available at every service station, because exclusive franchise schemes operated between sites in the same trading area.

This increased their attraction. In order to preserve their value, Green Shield restricted the amount of stamps issued to customers to ‘treble’ (In face value terms), the amount they would normally give on fuels purchases as opposed to other types of purchases of the same monetary value. When self service sites appeared, they alone were given the privilege of increasing the issue to quadruple stamps – but the franchise scheme remained in place and ensured some sites were excluded from the scheme, Hence the helter skelter by oil companies to be the first to build self service stations.

Green shield stamp franchises drove the introduction of self service – site operation cost savings became secondary.

A cornerstone of e n s u r i n g c u s t o m e r s accepted and

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understood the ‘art’ of serving themselves was how you introduced them to the process on site. The rapid expansion of the self service facilities took place in the ‘masculine’ ‘60s, when there were far more men than women drivers – and at a time when sexism was a feature of life yet to be thought of.

Putting two and two together, the

solution at that time was to use attractive personable women to meet and greet car drivers, (including women), and show them how to cope with the latest in forecourt equipment. I am almost blushing as I write this because of the crude approach we adopted – but I must say it did work.

Crucially, in order to get not just a pretty face for this work, they staff had to be personally interviewed and trained to make sure they could communicate with customers and understand the process themselves, as well as be prepared to wear the fashion craze of

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Articles the era – Hot Pants !! Guess who got the job of interviewing and ‘personality selection?! The interviews were arranged at local hotels through our Regional offices- and on one occasion I arrived at an hotel to do the ‘work’ and became conscious of admiring glances from the hotel staff. I understood why when I found out that in order to see as many candidates as possible, our office had said to the hotel, ‘Mr. Howell will be seeing a different woman every 15 minutes throughout the day, and will only have an occasional 10 minute breaks for coffee!!!! This was all the more easily misunderstood as the only meeting rooms hotels had in those days were bedrooms!!

Even today the major oil companies argue between themselves as to who was the first to build a self service site in the UK, and when, and where! My own research suggests it wasn’t an oil company at all, but an independent site in Plymouth around 1960.

There were amusing ‘early day’ side

issues to self service – like pumps that supposedly accepted pound notes to authorise a pump to dispense that amount of fuel without site staff being present. Some ‘customers’ put plain pieces of paper with ‘£1 Ha Ha’ written on them – and the pumps accepted them!!! In other cases, because customers were getting confused and put diesel instead of petrol into their tanks, ‘ t a l k i n g pumps’ were introduced.

On pulling up alongside pumps a recorded voice said ‘This is a diesel pumpare you sure you want diesel?’ This often led to customers 62

being more confused because they couldn’t see who was speaking. In BP, we received a letter from a shocked customer which complained that ‘a bloody pump had said good morning to him’.

Amongst all of this marketing activity, various oil companies came and went.

The likes of VIP, Agip, and Amoco. A number of Government Monopolies Inquiries into the held industry were held, and the continued volatility of some Middle Eastern countries affected prices and supplies. None of these matters resulted in measureable benefits to those with the principal interest in our industry – the forecourt customers.

I guess that was left to the entry of the Supermarkets to the retail fuels trade.

They had been tentatively entering the market for a few years in the late 1980’s. Following in the footsteps of the market in France. But the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1991 led to such disparities in ‘prices on the pole’ between the Supermarkets and the more traditional s e r v i c e s t a t i o n s resulted in a big increase in the number of supermarket forecourts. Far m o r e importantly, it led to their expanding their fuel throughputs and has reached such a level that they now have around 40% market share of UK fuels volumes sold.

This is because many customers chose them as opposed to remaining loyal to the long established oil companies.

Many of us in the industry asked incredulously, (and mistakenly), ‘who would buy petrol from a grocer?’ The

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

result as we see it today has at least served to reinforce what has always been a corner stone of marketing – ‘ignore customers’ wants needs and preferences at your peril’! It took oil companies until 1996, 5 years after the invasion of Kuwait, to wake up to the threat of the supermarkets. Stable doors and horses and bolts come to mind!

Marketing can help create, or destroy, corporate reputations. Basic simple matters such as the cleanliness, adequacy and reliability of equipment that customers’ have to use is taken for granted. But the big differentiator between Brands in the eyes of forecourt customers, and the most difficult one for oil companies & site operators to achieve, is courteous and knowledgeable treatment of customers.

This is the one area where most companies fail, despite the fact that it is the one that can bring the greatest rewards.

The other area that creates a real impression with customers is fuel pricing. Not as competitive now as it was in the 1990s, when it was precipitated by the supermarkets, it is still in the customer’s consciousness.

So what of the future for marketing fuels? Obviously the environment will take centre stage – with differentiation on fuels quality and various distinguishable attributes will be to the fore. Customers will be less swayed by ‘fripperies’ than in the past, and they will look for sites that offer complementary facilities to fuel, shops, refreshments and car care, so that they can enjoy one stop replenishment.

What will never change though is the customer’s appreciation of being treated properly and courteously by professionals. Woe be tide those who might forget or decry that – even after 50 years !

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British Fireworks Association Profile

By John Woodhead, Chairman Twenty five years ago, virtually all consumer fireworks on sale in the UK were manufactured in British factories.

The industry was close knit and well organised through the auspices of the Fireworks Makers Guild which had been the Trade Association from as early as 1912. Things were about to change radically, and by 1999 the consumer firework market was made up of virtually 100% imports.

The old manufacturing companies had become history with a much larger number of importers supplying the wholesale and retail trade. Many of these companies were new and members of no Trade Association, and therefore not easy to control; with the adherence to British Standard BS7114 seemingly being their only concern.

Until the turn of the century, firework related accidents had been the major concern for government, but with accident numbers remaining relatively low, the new and rapidly growing problem became noise, nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

In 2001, the then Consumer Affairs Minister, Melanie Johnson, decided that for consumer fireworks to continue, the industry needed to sort itself out and to put forward constructive proposals to do something about the new problems.

The outcome was a meeting in January 2002 at the Harrogate International Toy Fair, at which fifteen importing companies decided to form a new Trade Association, the British Fireworks Association, with the writer, having

“volunteered” to instigate the move, becoming Chairman.

We would like to think, and believe that government would agree, that the actions we took with regard to the removal from the market place of the high volume Air Bomb type fireworks, along with the millions of cheap “whistle-bang” rockets had an almost immediate impact, and our ready cooperation with the former Scottish MP, Bill Tynan, paved the way for the 2004 Firework Safety Regulations which firmed up our voluntary actions as well as introducing other measures to make consumer fireworks more acceptable to the general public. We were also involved, for better or for worse, in liaising with HSE in the formulation of MSER. From the outset, it has been our policy to work as closely as possible with both government departments and all enforcement bodies. We are delighted that, following the attendance of John Brooks and Ian Hillier at a BFA meeting, there will be future collaboration between our two organisations. We feel that there will be benefits on both sides, and alongside our close relationships with LACORS and CAFOA, will do our utmost to help with anything which can smooth the way through what will be a slightly unusual 2008 season resulting from the re-classification exercise which is ongoing for all firework importers.

Finally, whilst the BFA is strictly a consumer fireworks organisation, many

of our members are also involved in the display sector, so any problems APEA members might have with regard to any aspect of fireworks, our members will do their best to help. For instance, exchanging intelligence or, depending on time of year and individual circumstances, we may be able to help with storage of confiscated goods. The latter can never be a total promise, but a call to our secretary, Mrs. Purveen Hira, on 01344 425321 will fairly quickly ascertain the situation. Equally, from October 7th onwards, the writer will be contactable on 01484 609952, in what will probably be his final year of active involvement after 46 years in the industry and will try, in any way, to help APEA members through the short but intense firework season.

have 130 beneficiaries who have a direct connection with the oil and petrol sector and where we have provided financial help this amounts to over £140,000.

These are people like members of the APEA and like the Davis family. Mr Davis worked as a petrol pump attendant. Mr & Mrs Davis were never wealthy and struggled to save. Things got worse when Mr Davis developed emphysema in his sixties and became less physically able. The British Legion visited and realised that they had many needs. The Legion raised money for a scooter and also called in BEN. Our welfare officer went to see them and did a full benefits check to claim the

appropriate benefits for them. We also provided some money and arranged for Social Services to come in and provide home care.

Following this Mr & Mrs Davis found that their income had increased by £70 per week and they managed to start saving for the first time in years.

However, we still keep an eye on them, and they enjoy telling their BENfriend voluntary welfare visitor all about what’s happening in their lives.

If you would like to know more about BEN and the work we do please see our website www.ben.org.uk or contact Alfred Friday on 01344 294717 or email alfred.friday@ben.org.uk

Chairman: John Woodhead Direct Tel/Fax: 01484 609952 Vice Chairman: Stuart Garner Fireworks International Ltd, Home Farm, Foremark, Milton Derby, DE65 6EJ Tel: 01283 704849 Fax: 01283 704064 e-mail: stuart@fireworksinternational.co.uk Secretary/All correspondence: Purveen Hira Star Fireworks, 2 Bullbrook Row, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 2NL Tel: 01344 425321 Fax: 01344 861006 e-mail: purveen@starfireworks.co.uk

BEN and the APEA

By Alfred Friday, BEN BEN is the Automotive Industry Charity and is very grateful for the support that we have received from the APEA and its members over a number of years. We congratulate the Association as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

BEN was founded in 1905 as the Cycle Trades Benevolent Fund and now provides care to all those working in any part of the Automotive Industry, as well as their dependents, including the down-stream oil and petrol sector. The care and support we offer is reaching 15,000 people either living in their own homes, or in one of our four residential care centres, or our work place day centre in Coventry. As part of this we

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

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Evolution not Revolution

By Anton Martiniussen and Stefan Kunter, Elaflex Feel The Difference – ELAFLEX is introducing to the market the new generation of ZVA Slimline 2 and ZVA Slimline 2 GR nozzles on September 1st 2008 when they will be in full production. These nozzles replace the standard ZVA Slimline and ZVA 200 GR vapour recovery versions.

ZVA Slimline 2 GR Vapour Recovery Nozzle

Many improvements have evolved into the well-known ZVA Slimline types over the past decades. Over time new industry requirements, environmental concerns, meeting customer wishes, improved grip and handling with reduced lever force, improved cleanliness on forecourts and even better delivery rates for the “to the penny dispensing” required further radical developments.

Here we highlight some of the most significant improvements: Cleanliness with diesel It starts with more cleanliness and the Diesel Drip catcher which is now integrated into the nozzle body and comes as standard. The diesel fuel that

ZVA Slimline 2

remains on the outside of the spout is captured within the nozzle body once the nozzle is replaced in the nozzle booth. This assists in keeping the nozzle and scuffguard cleaner. For even better cleanliness and safety the optional DRIP STOP version can be factory fitted.

There is a comfortable handle designed for smaller hands combined with the contoured and convenient composite lever, where the force has been reduced by 1/3 without compromising safety. This is especially beneficial in countries where the latch pin is not allowed.

An improved flow stream has been achieved by repositioning the poppet/valve arrangements which also improves shut off with foaming and gassing fuels.

Integrated Drip Catcher

Pressure controlled active safety switch off (DSA) The pressure controlled active safety sensor (DSA) is an option available for new dispensers with volume or price pre-payment requirements The DSA ensures that upon non completion of a “preselected” quantity, the automatic shut off is activated approx 60 seconds after the nozzle is returned to the nozzle booth.

This occurs whether the lever is in the „open“position or not. For example no fuel can be dispensed until the lever is reset and activated.

ZVA Slimline 2 GR Vapour recovery nozzle Not only the “Open“/Shut“ GRV vapour valve but also the GRVP

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APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

GR Vapour Spout

Integrated vapour valve

are now fully integrated into the vapour recovery nozzle and no longer extends beyond the nozzle body. This innovation allows for a simplified adjustment of the vapour recovery DRY TEST system especially with the GRVP vapour proportional valve.

Service friendliness Servicing of the ZVA has been further improved during the development process. In addition to the stainless steel capped spout, which protects the spout, the spout is now a “push fit” fixed with a retaining pin on all the versions and provides simplified and quick assembly during service and maintenance as well as extending the nozzle longevity. The ZVA can also be completely rebuilt by recycling its parts saving valuable materials and costs. A tool kit is available for repairs to avoid damage to the parts.

Approvals Fully certified. The ZVA Slimline 2 and ZVA Slimline 2 GR are ATEX approved.

EC-type examination certificated according to EN13012. TÜV-Süd - VR approved ZVA Slimline 2 GR Stage II vapour recovery nozzles. SIRA approved.

The new ZVA Slimline 2 generation is a package of innovative improvements and developments that enhance the fuelling experience with the motorist and environment in mind. www.elaflex.com

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APEA - British Fireworks Association

By John Brooks, Trading Standards Officer, Essex County Council I am delighted to welcome the British Fireworks Association as Corporate members to the APEA, I hope that this will be a long and fruitful relationship for all.

I would like to thank John Woodhead for his help in bringing the BFA and the APEA together. John has over 40 years experience in the fireworks industry and has made an enormous contribution towards modernising it.

Since the last edition of ‘The Bulletin,’ Ian Hillier and myself have had a further meeting with representatives of the BFA

– Stuart Garner (Fireworks International) and Andy Jarman (Men Shun Fireworks).

There is great enthusiasm from within the fireworks industry to forge closer working relationships with regulators via the APEA. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the way ahead for the fireworks industry within the APEA. The BFA have expressed a desire to assist with training, intelligence sharing, storage of seized fireworks. This is subject to availability of both staff and storage at

the time. It has also been suggested that a fireworks seminar is held, to which any enforcement body with an interest in fireworks could attend.

There were some items of concern expressed by the BFA and assistance in these will be given where possible.

Further details will be given in a later edition of ‘The Bulletin’.

I hope that this is the beginning of a long, successful and mutually beneficial partnership.

advised that the APEA will continue to be run to provide information/assistance to all members; he also mentioned that it may be necessary in the foreseeable future to re-name the association, as petroleum increasingly becomes a lesser used fuel in favour of diesel and bio-fuels.

and continue to prosper, and that more

Branches Southern The summer 50th anniversary celebratory meeting was held at Beaulieu, with over 50 members in attendance.

The Southern branch Chairman, Barry Jenner, welcomed everyone to the meeting, and especially our guest speakers.

The first speaker, Mike Lugg, gave an illustrated presentation on the history and foundations of the APEA, and showed some very interesting photos, including kerb side erections, £2 nozzles, and current equipment.

Mike advised that the APEA was formed in 1958 by 66 licensing authorities to encourage uniformity of application of the then recently published code of practice.

The Southern branch was formed in 1965 and initially called the Oxfordshire and Surrey branch; it is now the largest branch in the country.

Mike's vast knowledge of the petroleum industry from the conception of the APEA to present day activities was evidently vast and comprehensive; our thanks were extended to him on behalf of all present by Barry Jenner.

Our second speaker was the APEA Chairman elect, Gareth Bourhill; Gareth

members will come forward to assist in achieving this.

Again, grateful thanks were given to Gareth for making the extremely long journey down to be with us on this special occasion.

Barry concluded the presentation

Gareth accepts that the APEA's original aims and objectives remain valid, but may need to adapt, to encompass new requirements in the future.

The APEA continues to grow outside of the UK, with regular training courses and advise increasingly given throughout the world; Gareth hopes that all of the branches keep functioning,

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

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aspect of the morning by thanking all for attending, and welcomed any suggestions for future meeting topics from all members.

A bouquet of flowers was then presented to Sue, from the committee members, to thank her for all her efforts in organising the day, which was very much appreciated.

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APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

After a brief interlude outside for a team photo, a ploughmans lunch was served in the Domus building, with a choice of two home made cakes for desert; those of us who could not decide which one looked nicer were treated to a small slice of each!

Everyone then made their way to the motor museum, which exceeded expectations; some members were caught on camera.

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Branches

Adrian and Ian looking rather relaxed

The committee would like to thank central council for subsidising the day's event, which otherwise would not have been possible.

Sue Meadowcroft Branch Secretary Eastern June 12th 2008 The Eastern Branch Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the APEA at Hintlesham Hall under the banner “Now and Then” Hintlesham Hall Hotel (Ipswich) is a magnificent 16th Century Grade I listed country house hotel set in 175 acres of beautiful Suffolk countryside. The entrance to the conference hall was decorated with large posters compiled

by Petro Technik giving a glimpse of how the Forecourt industry has evolved over the decades.

The meeting was well attended by current and past members of the APEA as well as those who still continue to do so after many years which added to the magic and nostalgia of the Eastern Branch’s contribution to the 50th

Welcome to the Eastern branch (Miri)

Anniversary celebration of the APEA. From such an event you hurriedly pen down a number of interesting points from the speakers and here are some (cant vouch for precise accuracy). One of the earliest mentions of the APEA was in 1958 when there were 66 licensing authorities. The first Bulletin was published in 1962. The first self service station opened in 1965. The national association started in 1965.The first branches were the West Midlands, East Midlands, Oxford, Surrey, Yorkshire and Teeside. The Eastern Branch was established inn 1968 so we have been around for some time too and we expect many more. For the industry and many members, innovation, design and manufacturing has been the key, faced by the challenges of regulations and safety for the benefit of the public, motorist, and the environment. It shows the intertwining of a responsible and proactive industry which has far reaching involvement, even internationally. One needs only to look at the design of tanks, dispensers, tank fittings and nozzles all manufactured to stringent demands, to high end electronics and integrated system to see how much thing have changed between “now and then”.

F a s c i n a t i n g conversations could be heard of peoples memories, of how the industry certainly sparked many a debate and battles over the years as well as reminding people how far we have come in F o r e c o u r t

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

Brian, Eileen & Terry sharing a joke

Design/Construction and Safety. For the APEA, The Blue Book, overseas branches, training courses, contributor to Standards, and several Eastern members who have gone on to be Chair of the Association, a forum for debate and sharing of views and ideas and networking.

The Vice Chairman Jamie Thompson stood in for our Chairman John Boudry who was, as is not unusual, away in some far flung country drumming up business for his company and aiding the UK’s balance of payments. The meeting conducted its formal business incumbent on the AGM. The notes of the previous meetings were accepted.

The accounts for the past year have been audited and were accepted. New officers have been elected to serve for the coming year. We are delighted to see so many “new faces” and heartily welcome you (the names are listed below).

Chairman: John Boudry Vice Chairman: Jacquie Holst Secretary & Treasurer: Anton Martiniussen Branch representative: Adrian Holyomes Branch Events Committee: Mike Alston, Jean Fincken, Alex Boudry, Jamie Thompson, John Brooks 73

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Branches We thank all those who served in the past year and the contribution they brought by their involvement and dedication.

After the formalities the speakers were introduced. We thank them for

related to Petrol and Forecourt Industry.

Ray spent 28 years with BP, a career that included a variety of European management positions associated with the oil business.

Ray gave us an extremely interesting “ Now and Then “ talk on changes in the Forecourt Industry, the decline in the number of filling stations, Oil Price changes over the past

Jamie Thompson talked about the influence of regulation over the 20th Century on petrol station forecourts. We were treated to an array of photographs taken over the years and one could see the positive influence regulations have had on the construction and usage of forecourts over the years. Whilst it was once acceptable to store barrels of petrol in the front of your grocers shop or sell and carry it in glass jars, those days have gone. Needless to say the

Eastern Branch members

Mike, Stuart and Ray

Brian, John, Alex and Brian

Familiar faces

Ray, Jamie and Anton

giving their time to come and support us and the APEA on this special occasion.

The Eastern Branch aims to provide good speakers with interesting topics and this time was no exception as we had Ray Holloway, Annie Risbridger, Jamie Thompson and Brian Baker. Ray is Director of the RMI and Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), you may have heard or seen him expressing opinions on TV and Radio on topics 74

50 Years, and the impact this has had on us all. He also contributed with some amusing anecdotal stories too!

Annie Risbridger of Risbridger Ltd. spoke about the beginnings of Risbridger which started back in 1922 and the manufacturing philosophy her grandfather and his successors have held over the past 86 years. An absolutely fascinating history. While some companies have opted to look to The Middle Kingdom for production of components, Risbridger have invested in state of the art technology to make aesthetically pleasing quality engineered products.

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

next 50 years will bring still more changes.

A short presentation by Brian Baker updated us on current issues including DSEAR which has now been with us six years .

After the talks a fine three course lunch was served in an equally impressive dining room. The buzz of the meeting continued through to the end of the meal, with flowing conversations about the changes that people have experienced over the past 50 years on Forecourts and within the APEA and also memories of those who are no longer with us or could make the event.

At this point I feel this paper would be incomplete without a special mention of

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Branches how delighted we were to have Brian Taylor and Eileen with us on the day.

After lunch a Eastern Branch members were bussed and welcomed to the premises of Cookson & Zinn where a guided factory tour was conducted. It was clear to see the pride and precision taken with the fabrication of their award winning products. Its good to see that UK manufacturing is alive and well.

There was also a display set up showing a tank top setup, as you would see it at a petrol station forecourt before the top layer of back fill and concrete is added. A thank you to Trevor Mason for the explanations.

The Eastern Branch would like to thank all too numerous to mention for making the day an enjoyable and

memorable event for everyone. It would also like to thank the APEA Association, Cookson and Zinn and ELAFLEX for its generosity, support and patience. Also thanks to Sue Eden, Angela Nice, Miroslava Kozakova. If you are inspired by what you have read here and would like to join the APEA or participate at any of the Branch activities, give a presentation, have something to say or would like to welcome our small group to your premises please contact us, alternatively Jane Mardell who will be delighted to put you in contact with the various Branch Sec. Anton Martiniussen Branch Secretary c/o ELAFLEX LTD (the views and expression given by participants/contributors written or oral do not reflect any endorsement by the APEA. It is solely intended as general information) Brian & Eileen Taylor

Brian Baker and John Reynolds

At the recent 50th Anniversary meeting of the Eastern Branch, we were absolutely delighted to welcome Brian and Eileen Taylor to our special meeting. Brian for many years was a big supporter of the Association and the work he put in when serving on Council in particular was phenomenal.

Always with Eileen not far behind, helping out whenever she could whether dealing with telephone enquiries, signing members in at the AGM or conference. Their contribution over the years has played a major part in our success of the Association and this issue could go to print to reflect without such recognition.

Jamie Thompson

76

Editor

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

North West The branch commemorated the APEA,s 50th Anniversary with a meeting and tour at The Jaguar/Landrover Plant at Halewood on Merseyside on Thursday 5th June.

Bob Conlin, Chairman, welcomed everyone to this special day and thanked all for attending.

The day’s events were outlined, the morning having two technical review sessions, the first presentation by John Robinson of Subscan Technologies, dealing with the location of underground services, the second by Phil Lambeth of BP Global Fuel Technology. The technical sessions were followed by a first class buffet lunch after which a tour of the Landrover/Jaguar production line was arranged.

Technical Reviews Survey Techniques for locating underground equipment on Petrol Forecourts.

John outlined the various techniques employed to determine both above ground and below ground features, above ground items being established by traditional topographical methods, underground services are established by a number of ways, contact with main Utility Bodies, electromagnetic tracing and Ground penetrating radar.

John explained the process of GPR and demonstrated its ability to locate and identify sub-surface targets, the process works by launching pulses of electromagnetic energy into the ground and recording its reflectance from underground media.

Phil Lambeth Phil presented an extremely informative review of the current

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Branches policies for the use of High Blend Ethanol Fuels and in particular the most common E85. Phil briefly outlined the current legislation and also the latest guidance notes available for download from the APEA. The environmental implications of the use of blended Ethanol fuels are

Branch Representative and Secretary Contact Details Eastern

complex with indirect effects on food supplies, deforestation and greenhouse

Adrian Holyomes - Rep

gas emissions.

HYTEK GB LTD

Due to the current political nature of

Delta House

the introduction of Ethanol fuels we are

Green Street, Elsenham

discussing with Phil the possibility of a

Bishops Stortford

full article in a future copy of the

Hertfordshire

Journal.

Tel: 01279 815600 email: adrian@hytekgb.com

After the technical reviews we broke for

a

buffet

lunch

with

ongoing

Paul Devine - Sec South Lanarkshire Council Consumer and Trading Standards North Stand, Cadzow Avenue Hamilton ML3 0LU Tel: 01698 476170 Fax: 01698 476180 Mobile: 07795 090903 email: paul.devine@southlanarkshire.gov.uk Southern

ELAFLEX Ltd

renewing old acquaintances.

Riverside House, Hoddesdon, Herts EN11 0PA Tel: 01992 452 950

prepared for a tour of the Halewood

Mob: 07831 595620

production facility, taking in the Press

email: elaflex@aol.com

shop, Body Plant, trim and final assembly. The tour was an excellent

Ian Hillier - Rep North Ayrshire Council Bridgegate House Irvine KA12 8BD Tel: 01294 324969 email: ian.hiller@north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Anton Martiniussen - Sec

discussions on the morning’s topics and

Once fed and watered we then

Scotland

Midlands

experience for all and the sight of the assembly lines where robots carry out

Keith Gater - Sec

precision assembly tasks was quite awe

Suresite Limited

inspiring, the tour gave a great insight

3 Eastway Business Village

on complexities of car assembly from

Olivers Place, Fulwood

the raw sheet materials to the finished

Preston PR2 9WT

product, unfortunately no free samples!

Tel: 07985466639

Philip Monger - Rep Petrol Retailers Association Meadowside, West End, Sherbourne St John, Basingstoke, Hants.

RG24 9LE. Tel: 01256 850164 Fax: 01256 851273 email: phil.monger@ukonline.co.uk Sue Meadowcroft - Sec 1 Rock Cottage, South Cornelly Bridgend CF33 4RN Tel: 07795 841891 email: sue@high-cross.com Ireland

email: keith.gater@suresite.co.uk The day’s events finished at approx.

3.30pm and the committee would like to

North East

thank the speakers for giving the time to make their presentations, we would

Mike Silmon - Rep and Sec

also thank all the staff at the Landrover

W O Silmon Ltd

/Jaguar

Industry Road, Heaton

production

plant

memorable day.

for

a

Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne & Wear NE6 5XB.

John Bruce

Tel: 0191 224 0777

Branch Secretary

Fax: 0191 224 0707 email:

Ireland

associationtreasurer@apea.org.uk

Nothing to report at present North West Scotland Nothing to report at present

Killian Tallon - Rep Topaz Energy Ltd Topaz House Beech Hill, Clonskeagh Dublin 4, Ireland Tel: + 353 1202 8705 email: killian.tallon@topazenergy.ie

John Bruce - Branch Rep and Sec David McLean Contractors Ltd

Midlands

28 Parkway

Nothing to report at present

Deesside Industrial Park, Deeside Deeside, Flintshire CH5 2NS

North East

Tel: 01244285815

Nothing to report at present

email: john.bruce@davidmclean.co.uk

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507

Michael O’Kane - Irish Sec Michael O'Kane Associates Gransha Beg, 27a Gilford Park, Sandymount, Dublin 4, Ireland Tel: +353 87 2671675 Mob: +353 (0) 7718 146033 email: mokplusa@eircom.net Cyprus George Gregoras - Rep and Sec Hellenic Petroleum Cyprus Ltd 1st Erecthiou Str., 2413, Engomi Nicosia, Cyprus Tel: +357 22 477000 Fax: +357 22 453792 email: ggregoras@hellenic-petroleum.gr 77

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Training

2008 Course Dates Wetstock Management

Petrol Filling Stations Construction, Safety and Environmental Protection

Electrical Installations An Awareness

15/16th September Dublin

LPG Installations

17/18th November Glasgow

DSEAR 10th Sept

Glasgow

8/9th December Manchester

15th Oct

Newcastle

6 hours Continued Professional Development 8 Sept Luton

Petrol Filling Stations Risk Assessment, Audit and Inspection

12th Nov

Luton

22 Sept

Manchester

3rd Dec

Manchester

20 Oct

Southampton

Explosives and Fireworks

27 Oct

Derby

10 Nov

Cardiff

17/18 September Dublin 22/23 October Glasgow 26/27 November Newcastle

30 Oct

23rd Sept

Southampton

New For 2008 Petrol Filling Stations – Enforcement Procedures An Awareness (One day)

York

4 Sept

Newcastle

11 Sept

Manchester

24 Nov

Birmingham

24 Sept

Luton

8 Dec

Swindon

25 Sept

Cardiff

15 Dec

York

Courses will be designed around the new TCB Document, Guidance for Design, Construction, Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations.

Please contact the APEA Business Manager on 0845 603 5507 or at admin@apea.org.uk if you wish to find out about purchasing a copy. APEA Members can purchase the guide at the discounted rate of £40 (non member rate £120).

It is strongly recommended that attendees have access to this document during courses.

All courses can be booked online at www.apea.org.uk on the ‘Training’ page.

Bespoke courses can be made available provided the minimum number of Delegates is 8. This offers a discount.

For details of this and any other training enquiry, please contact: Jane Mardell - Training Coordinator, (contact details on page 3) or Brian Humm, Training Chairman 84 Dunblane Road, Eltham, London SE9 6RT

APEA Training Team Jamie Thompson Independent Consultant Brian Humm Deputy Head of Petroleum LFEPA Brian Baker Fire Safety & Petroleum Officer Milton Keynes Council Gareth Bourhill Principal Training Consultant 78

Mobile: 07818 097141

e-mail: brian.humm@london-fire.gov.uk

Electrical Safety Forth Valley College of Further and Higher Education

Bob Conlin Director Fairbanks Environmental

Richard Wigfull Consulting Engineer J. Wigfull & Son

Tom Armstrong Senior Project Engineer

Phil Lambeth Senior Engineer BP Global Alliance

Joe Maerz Operational Manager Rural & Public Protection Team Essex Trading Standards

Kim Bennett, Senior Environmental Health Officer Milton Keynes Council

Jean Fincken Petroleum Inspector LFEPA

APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507