Australia sues Exxon for falsely representing its local petrol brand
The Australian Competition Watchdog announced on Tuesday that it had taken Exxon Mobil’s local brand affiliate, which sells fuel at six of their branded petrol stations throughout Queensland, to court. Exxon Mobil, an American oil and gas company, owns and operates the Mobil brand. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges that Mobil misrepresented that "Mobil Synergy", its "Mobil Synergy", contained certain additives when it didn't. ACCC said that the…
Germany's automotive industry demands stricter climate targets from fuel suppliers
The VDA, the German auto association, said that Germany must go beyond EU fuel guidelines if it is to reach its goal of a climate-neutral transport by 2045. VDA stated in a press release that the EU's Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III), which was adopted late last season, isn't ambitious enough. Hildegard Müller, VDA president, said that politicians should create incentives to encourage the use of renewable energies and to ensure and promote investment. The German automotive industry wants to make sure that CO2-neutral fuels…
KY Gasline Erupts in Flames, One Dead
A natural gas line erupted in a ball of flames that could be seen for miles over a residential community in rural Kentucky on Thursday, killing one person and setting several houses on fire, a local sheriff said.The blast, in Moreland, a community about 40 miles (65 km) south of Lexington, was the second so far this year on Canadian energy company Enbridge Inc's Texas Eastern natural gas pipeline following an incident in Ohio in January that injured at least two people.A woman killed in Thursday's explosion was found outside her home, Lincoln County Sheriff Curt Folger said.
Wärtsilä Forms New Biofuel Arm
Finnish shipping technology group Wartsila has merged its Puregas Solutions and biogas liquefaction teams to form a new Biogas Solutions unit that will offer its customers a ‘one-stop-shop service’ for advanced biofuel production.Wärtsilä Biogas Solutions, a unit with expert capabilities in liquefying upgraded biogas for end-customer use, offers products for biogas upgrading to biomethane, and the liquefaction of biomethane into bioLNG."Currently, our market share in this field is almost 60 percent…
ICS Hopes for Zero CO2 Fuels
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) believes that the 2020 global sulphur cap will be the regulatory game changer of the decade with profound implications for the economics of shipping.However, there are even more profound changes to come. "We are rapidly moving into a multi-fuel future to be followed we hope, in the 2030s, by the arrival of commercially viable zero CO2 fuels suitable for global application,” says Esben Poulsson, Chairman of ICS.As the 1 January 2020 deadline for the sulphur cap approaches…
SEA\LNG Voices Support for MEPC 73 Outcomes
SEA\LNG, the multi-sector industry coalition aiming to accelerate the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, strongly supports the decision of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) to reaffirm the January 1, 2020 implementation date of the 0.50% sulphur fuel limit.SEA\LNG said in a press release that it also applauds the adoption of the amendment to MARPOL Annex VI for a carriage ban on non-compliant fuels for vessels without…
Shipping Industry Welcomes EU Support to Green Fuel
The shipping industry and the European Independent fuel suppliers welcome the European Parliament’s support to incentivize the uptake of low-carbon and carbon-free alternative fuels and to remove disparities in energy taxation.On 25 October the European Parliament adopted its report on The deployment of infrastructure for alternative fuels in the EU which pointed out that taxation has a major impact on the price competitiveness of alternative fuels and underlined that…
Singapore to Require Flow Meters for Bunker Transfers
Singapore's Maritime Port Authority (MPA) is set to announce it is making use of mass-flow-meters (MFM) mandatory onboard marine gasoil barges used to refuel large ships, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The announcement will be made at a gala dinner in the city state organised by the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) later on Thursday, the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Britain: Biofuel Targets Will Reduce Diesel Reliance
British biofuel targets coming into force this weekend will double the use of renewable fuels in the UK transport sector in 15 years and reduce reliance on imported diesel, the government said on Friday. The new targets, which take effect on April 15, will compel transport fuel suppliers who sell at least 450,000 litres a year or more to make sure the mix is at least 12.4 percent biofuel by 2032, the government said. The industry supplies fuel to transport companies such as haulage businesses and airlines.
More Charges Against Shell Singapore Theft Suspects
Total number of people arrested in the case rises to 20; thefts are alleged to have been going on for months. A Singapore court on Monday filed additional charges against nine men accused in a large-scale oil theft at Shell's biggest refinery, the latest development in an extensive investigation in the city-state. The nine Singaporean men, eight of whom were employees of the Singapore subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, faced initial charges in court last week alongside two Vietnamese nationals, who are due at court on Tuesday.
Honda says Fuel From Shell, Total, PSO Harms Engines in Pakistan
Pakistan's state oil and gas regulator said on Thursday it would investigate a complaint that fuel suppliers including local units of Shell and Total as well as Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had added manganese to their gasoline. Honda Motor Co's Pakistan subsidiary, Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Ltd., filed the complaint, saying the additive appeared to be damaging engines in its vehicles. Manganese can be added to fuel to make it appear to be of a higher quality but it can reduce fuel economy and potentially harm public health due to emissions.
Universal Energy Faces Millions in Claims
Universal Energy entered voluntary liquidation on Oct 3, tightening credit in Singapore's bunker fuel market. Shipping fuel suppliers are filing millions of dollars in claims over unpaid marine fuel bills against now defunct Singapore-based peer Universal Energy, formerly one of the city state's largest bunker suppliers but which has now entered liquidation. Universal Energy, ranked as Singapore's third-largest bunker fuel supplier by volume in 2016, had its shipping fuel…
Fuel Shortages from Harvey to Hamper Labor Day Travel
Travelers and fuel suppliers across the United States braced for higher prices and shortages ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend as the country's biggest fuel pipelines and refineries curb operations after Hurricane Harvey. Just six days after Harvey slammed into the heart of the U.S. energy industry in Texas, the effects are being felt not just in Houston, but also in Chicago and New York, and prices at the pump nationwide have hit a high for the year. Supply shortages…
U.S. Biofuels Mandates Under High Stakes Scrutiny
U.S. biofuels regulations, which mandate mixing corn-based ethanol into gasoline, have lately drawn together a diverse cast of political opponents. They include an upstart gas station owners' trade group, a former Obama administration environmental adviser and billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, who owns a refiner and served as U.S. President Donald Trump's special advisor on business regulation - until he resigned Friday amid allegations of a conflict of interest.
New DNV GL Tool Safeguards Increasingly Greener Gas Supply
DNV GL is now launching an online pipeline gas quality calculator, the ‘PKI Methane Number Calculator for Pipeline Gas’, to ensure that the end-user can reliably and safely use the gas being distributed. The chemical composition of fuel in the natural gas grid is becoming more diverse due to globalization of energy supply and the drive towards introducing renewable gases. Mismatching fuel quality to a given engine can cause engine knock, which can compromise engine performance and lead to engine shutdown.
U.S. Military Marches on Green Energy
President Donald Trump and his top advisors have often scoffed at government support of green energy. But the largest U.S. government agency - the Department of Defense - plans to forge ahead under the new administration with a decade-long effort to convert its fuel-hungry operations to renewable power, senior military officials told Reuters. The reasons have nothing to do with the white-hot debate over climate change. In combat zones, green energy saves lives by, for instance, reducing the need for easily attacked convoys to deliver diesel fuel to generators at U.S. bases.
Genoil Appoints Middle East VP
Genoil Inc. (GNOLF), the publicly traded clean technology engineering company for the petroleum industry, announced the appointment of Raushan Telyashev as Vice President of Genoil Middle East. Raushan Telyashev has a wealth of experience in the oil and gas industry. Prior to joining Genoil, Mr. Telyashev worked at Lukoil where he was Deputy Head of the Department of Construction, in charge of the execution of projects, and General Director of their Design and Research Institute. Mr Telyashev was also manager of the petrochemical group of Shell companies.
Total, CMA CGM Prepare for New Environmental Regulations
Total, the world’s fourth-ranked international oil and gas company, and CMA CGM, a leading worldwide shipping group, have signed a three-year memorandum of understanding. The two partners will be combining their expertise to prepare for stricter fuel regulations in the shipping industry and further reduce the sector’s footprint by developing solutions that make container ships ever more environmentally-friendly. - Fuel oil with a sulfur content of 0.5%. - Fuel oil with a sulfur content of 3.5% for ships equipped with exhaust gas cleaning systems…
Tanzania raises power tariffs by 8.5%
Tanzania's energy regulator has approved a power tariff hike of 8.53 percent by the state-run utility, less than half of what the utility said it needed to stem losses. The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) had sought an 18.19 percent tariff increase to snap a loss-making trend and clear debts to independent power producers and fuel suppliers. The tariff hike takes effect from Jan. 1, the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) said in a statement on Saturday.
Genoil Appoints Consultancy BLUE
Genoil Inc. (GNOLF), the publicly traded clean technology engineering company for the petroleum industries, today announced the appointment of BLUE Communications Ltd, a leading communications and business consultancy specializing in the marine, energy and environment sectors. BLUE will support Genoil’s management team in effectively positioning Genoil within the shipping industry, and helping the company to unlock the significant potential for its proprietary technology…
