NEWS
A worthy winner
Carrie Marsh , managing director of Marsh Fuels and Master Elect of the Worshipful Company of Fuellers , has won a Lord Mayor of London Covid-19 award for services within the Livery .
Carrie met with the Lord Mayor of London on 19th July , where she was presented with the award , as well as a wonderfully aromatic mint tea , grown in the UK , and Mansion House bone china mug .
The Lord Mayor holds annual awards in the City for business and this was an additional special one to recognise the unsung community heroes helping others through the pandemic . From hundreds of nominations , from across the City , 13 winners were chosen in three categories : crisis response , delivering differently and community champions , plus the Mayor of London Young Londoners Awards .
A worthy winner , during the last 15 months Senior Warden Carrie Marsh , has been writing a weekly blog to lift members ’ spirits , especially for those not online , designed for the initial 12 weeks of lockdown and then extended until all members could meet again in person .
Telling us more about the upcoming meeting , Carrie said : “ The date for that has finally been set for 26th August this year and I have now sent out 70 weekly blogs , never missing one !”
As well as boosting morale , Carrie also made face masks for the membership and donated the proceeds of these to the Fuellers
Driver shortage impacts supplies
Industry trade bodies have raised concerns over Government failure to find solutions to driver shortages ( see Industry Focus on page 13 ) but the issue has already contributed to the temporary closure of some forecourts after running out of fuel due to lack of deliveries .
Last week a busy BP service station on the A140 in North Norfolk was temporarily closed and there are also reports of sites in Reading and Berkshire having to close for a period .
BP has confirmed that some petrol stations have been affected by driver shortages but stressed that the issue is not one of fuel shortage . With shortage of drivers already a chronic problem in the industry it is further exacerbated by drivers being forced to selfisolate after being pinged by Test and Trace .
Charitable Trust Fund . Not stopping at making masks , Carrie said : “ The Trust Fund kindly sponsored the cost of materials , and I then organised a sewing team to make many sets of scrubs for our local doctors ’ surgery staff , doctors and nurses in the Newbury area .
Telling us more about the ceremony , Carrie said : “ The Lord Mayor , Alderman William Russell , presided and the room was full of members who have done amazing things during the pandemic either individually or as part of the NHS Livery initiative which saw many Livery companies join together to produce , pack and deliver thousands of meals to NHS workers within the City .”
Carrie concluded : “ With the blog , masks and scrubs as well as lots of little things in between , and although nowhere as much work as NHS has done over the past 15 months , it was a lovely surprise to be acknowledged .”
The isolation issue also necessitated a temporary closure of the BP terminal at Hemel Hempstead last month with the spokesperson confirming : “ We are experiencing fuel availability issues at some of our retail sites in the UK . Our supply chain has been impacted by the industry-wide driver shortages across the UK , exacerbated by a temporary closure of our Hemel Hempstead fuel distribution terminal last week because of necessary Covid-19 isolations among staff impacting our supply chain . Our Hemel terminal is now operating as normal .
“ We are working hard with our haulier supplier to deliver fuel into sites and minimise any disruption to our customers . We apologise for any inconvenience caused .”
Industry responds to Decarbonisation Plan
Launched last month by the Government the plan covers the decarbonisation all modes of domestic transport and sets out a pathway for the whole transport sector to reach net zero by 2050 through :
• Consulting on ending the sale of all new polluting heavy goods vehicles by 2040 , with a commitment from the Government to electrify its own fleet by 2027
• Creating a net zero rail network by 2050
• Leading the transition to green shipping
• Targeting net zero domestic aviation emissions by 2050
Support from the industry UKPIA responded to the release of the TDP saying that the downstream oil sector – the supplier of 96 % of the UK ’ s transport fuels – confirms its commitment to working with the UK Government to decarbonise the transport system , recognising that the carbon footprint of transport emissions extends far beyond what is emitted from a vehicle ’ s tailpipe .
The announced changes to the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation ( RTFO ), will see a steady increase in renewable fuel content blended in fuels throughout the 2020s , which UKPIA supports , with the association welcoming the announcement by DfT to develop a strategy for low carbon fuels . UKPIA sees the opportunity for low carbon fuels to reduce emissions with today ’ s vehicle fleet , making efficient use of the strong existing infrastructure in the supply chain , while infrastructure for EVs and hydrogen vehicles is developed .
In March , UKPIA released its “ Future of Mobility in the UK ” report , which outlined the significance of the downstream sector as a major contributor to decarbonising transport . Pivotal to reducing emissions in the transport sector will be a systems-based approach to decarbonisation as well as a fundamental paradigm shift in how we use transport .
UKPIA director-general , Stephen Marcos Jones , commented : “ Today ’ s recognition by the DfT of the significant role that low carbon fuels will and must play in the decarbonisation of transport is welcomed . With the announcement of a muchneeded strategy for low carbon fuels , this feels like a watershed moment for the future of low carbon fuels in this country and we look forward to working with DfT on the strategy ’ s development .”
10 Fuel Oil News | August 2021