Project Speedbird, a partnership between Nova Pangaea Technologies, British Airways, and LanzaJet that aims to develop cost-effective sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for commercial use in the UK, is due to start earlier. IAG, the parent company of British Airways, has announced an investment in the project that will facilitate the next development phase for aviation decarbonisation.

Project Speedbird was initially granted nearly £500,000 by the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Green Fuels, Green Skies competition to fund an initial feasibility study for the early-stage development of the project. It targets annual production of 102 million litres of SAF from sustainably sourced agricultural and wood waste.

“Project Speedbird is another great step towards our mission to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner and achieve our target of using SAF for 10% of our fuel by 2030. With further investment and continued government support, Speedbird will be a key and pioneering project in the production of SAF here in the UK,” said British Airways Sustainability Director Carrie Harris.

The partnership has submitted an application for the DfT’s Advanced Fuels Fund grant for further funding to support continued development of the project. Construction work for the SAF production facility is expected to begin early next year in North East England, with delivery of the end product anticipated by 2026.

Once operational, it will be the UK’s first facility to produce SAF using agricultural and wood waste. The SAF will be produced using Nova Pangaea’s REFNOVA process that converts agricultural and wood waste into bioethanol and biochar. Later, the bioethanol will be converted into SAF and renewable diesel using LanzaJet’s proprietary and patented alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) technology.

Moreover, project Speedbird is also expected to create significant employment opportunities in the North East of England. British Airways, the flag carrier of the UK, looks to procure all the SAF produced by the facility to power some of its flights. The SAF produced would reduce carbon emissions on a net lifecycle basis by 230,000t per year.

At this year’s COP27 conference in Egypt, the UK has agreed, in partnership with the US, to create green shipping corridors between the two countries. The green maritime links involve specific routes that are decarbonised from end to end, including both land-side infrastructure and vessels.

Both the UK and the US have agreed to launch a special Green Shipping Corridor Task Force to bring together experts in the sector, as well as encourage vital research and development and drive other important work and projects to see these initiatives come to life as quickly as possible. The process of setting up green shipping corridors involves using zero-emission fuels, implementing refuelling or recharging infrastructure at ports, and deploying zero-emission capable vessels for more environmentally-friendly shipping.

“The challenges posed by climate change are clear and the need to decarbonise maritime has never been greater. That’s why we’ve committed to work alongside global partners to clean up the sector, improve air quality in and around our ports and coastal communities, and drive green investment into our economy. But we must not lose momentum. I’m delighted to say the UK has agreed to begin developing green shipping routes with some of our closest allies, as we work together to realise the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming,” said UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper.

This announcement follows the UK-led Clydebank Declaration at COP26, an initiative to provide a framework for governments to establish zero-emission shipping routes between ports. A total of 24 signatories signed the declaration to support the establishment of green shipping corridors.

Currently, the international maritime sector is responsible for almost 3% of global emissions. To counterattack that, the UK, alongside its counterparts in the Zero Emission Shipping Mission, have recently published an action plan to remove obstacles to creating a greener maritime sector, from clean energy ports to zero-emission vessels and the green fuels that will be needed to develop green shipping corridors.

Moreover, the UK Government has also launched a £60 million fund for the third round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition on World Maritime Day, to invest in zero-emission shipping solutions.

Parcel delivery company DPD UK has announced it will be switching its entire diesel HGV fleet to renewable biofuel by the end of next year. The move, in partnership with integrated energy provider Essar and Green Biofuels, will see the company’s vehicles running on Green D (Gd+) hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

Under the EU’s REDII legislation, Gd+ HVO is a renewable and sustainable alternative for diesel, while also being the lowest-emission replacement fuel available on the market. Developed using renewable feedstock, it contains a specifically designed performance additive to ensure cleanliness and optimum combustion throughout the fuel system.

“This is a very significant step in the journey to decarbonising our entire fleet and achieving our aim of being the most sustainable parcel delivery company in the UK. While we are well on the way to electrifying our delivery van fleet, the HGV linehaul fleet has always been a very different challenge. We have assessed a range of options and it is clear now that this is the most effective and practical way to make a real difference. While there may be different solutions in years to come, we must start this process now by making our existing vehicles significantly cleaner,” said Justin Pegg, Chief Operating Officer at DPD UK.

Operators of diesel engines that decide to use the Gd+ HVO fuel will be able to save lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 90% and therefore help improve local air quality. Moreover, in-field and controlled environment-independent tests have shown that compared to standard diesel emissions, Gd+ HVO achieves up to 80% reductions of particulates and up to 20% reductions of nitrogen oxides emissions.

“We are delighted to be working with Essar and DPD,” commented William Tebbit, CEO and Co-Founder of Green Biofuels. “Our mission is to support the net-zero energy transition by providing a solution that that makes an immediate impact on local air quality, lowers CO2 emissions, and supports decarbonization. The challenges faced by DPD are typical of most large fleets in the UK; however, Gd+ HVO provides results with no additional costs of transforming the engines. Green Biofuels offers the most effective solution available today – it is an essential ingredient for the transition to an environmentally friendly world fueled by 100% renewable energy.”

The process of switching to Gd+ HVO will begin immediately and, following a four-month trial, DPD UK aims to convert 60% of its vehicles within 2022, reducing as a result emissions by 70,282 metric tons compared to 2021. The remaining vehicles will switch by the end of 2023.

Lindum Packaging, the UK’s leading expert on pallet stability and wrapping, has officially launched its Innovation Centre, which will provide offsite solutions that will solve the pallet stability issues. The £250k facility replicates its customers’ packaging operations and in-transit conditions without disrupting their day-to-day operations.

Pallet stability issues cost companies thousands of pounds in lost sales every year, but the early customer trials operated by Lindum have shown excellent results. For example, one customer was able to dispatch 60 tubs on a pallet instead of 48, saving them £1 million per year through transport and efficiency gains.

Moreover, by trialling and proving the case for switching to a recycled content stretch film, Lindum has also reduced a global brewer’s virgin plastic consumption by 2,106kg per year, reduced their carbon equivalent emissions by 4,739kg and removed 471kg of pallet roll cores from their requirements.

Working in collaboration with Lindum’s Mobile Pallet Stability Test Lab, the Innovation Centre is the first of its kind to identify and solve the problems that cause movement in transport (MIT) issues. With 750 million pallet journeys a year, MIT issues affect 11% of these journeys, leading to 82.5 million pallets arriving at their destination with some damage every year. An issue that results in huge product and financial losses for businesses.  

“With the Mobile Pallet Stability Test Lab and Innovation Centre, we can show our customers exactly what they need to do to ensure that their products get from their factory to their customer in the best condition. We go beyond highlighting where customers have problems with goods getting damaged in transit and diagnose and treat the root cause to prevent the problem from arising in the future. Whether they’re looking to minimise the amount of stock that gets written off, or to prove the business case for investing in new pallet wrapping machinery, we can give our customers real, tangible results,” said Rick Sellars, Sales Manager of Lindum Packaging.

Customers who are facing pallet stability issues can send a problem pallet to Lindum who will trial multiple solutions to give scientifically accurate, data-backed results to diagnose the root problem and advise on changes to production and packaging lines.  

Changes and adjustments to the pallet can now be made inside the Innovation Centre, rather than being trialled by the customer. The centre is equipped with semi-automatic pallet wrapping equipment and a range of different gauge films, anti-slip sheets and protective tertiary packaging materials.

Maritime Transport, the UK’s leading provider of integrated road and rail solutions, has turned to Tiger Trailers for its latest order of curtainsiders, based on the manufacturer’s reputation for high quality products, efficiency, and a customer-focussed approach. Manufactured on time and in full at Tiger’s state-of-the-art facility, the new trailers have entered service throughout the UK.

Paul Heyhoe, Maritime Transport’s Fleet Director, comments: “We are pleased to have placed our first order with Tiger Trailers, who met our timescales and specification at a time where production schedules are being delayed across various industries. The new trailers are a welcome addition to our fleet and will bring greater efficiencies and flexibility to our distribution division, ensuring it is prepared for substantial growth we have seen in new contracts.”

Maritime Transport’s one hundred 13.6m Tiger curtainsiders incorporate various EN 12642 XL rated bodywork components, feature a clearspan pillarless roof design, and have been designed to meet the company’s exacting requirements through specified components including two rear strap pouches, a specific load securing setup, TIR cord, toolbox, and SAF drum brake axles. The majority are fitted with Keruing hardwood floors, while ten have phenolic non-slip plywood finishes.

Stephen Pollock, Tiger Trailers’ Business Development Director, says: “Here at Tiger we are extremely pleased to have welcomed Maritime Transport as a customer, following their decision to place this order for 100 curtainsiders with ourselves. It has been an absolute pleasure to have developed a close working relationship with Paul Heyhoe and his colleagues and we look forward to supporting them going forwards.”

Maritime’s trailer fleet includes curtainsiders of various apertures, some of which are fitted with tail-lifts to suit their varied duties, along with skeletals of both sliding and fixed types, tippers, gensets and goosenecks. They are pulled by over 1,600 tractor units comprising Scania’s, Volvo’s, and Mercedes, all meeting Euro-6 emissions standards and LEZ compliance. Maritime was awarded the accolade of Road Freight Company of the Year at the 2022 Multimodal Awards held in June. The company has been a proud recipient of the award on four occasions since the Road Freight category was launched in 2016.

Tiger Trailers is approaching its 10th year of business and has grown fast to become one of the UK’s leading articulated HGV trailer and rigid bodywork manufacturers, building the complete product range from curtainsiders and box vans to fixed-deck and moving-deck double decks, flatbeds, skeletals and other specialist trailers, plus swap-body demountables and temperature-controlled trailers. Its customer portfolio is significantly comprised household brands, major parcel operators and haulage firms. Underpinned by an apprenticeship programme and multi-shift production, Tiger is able to offer competitive build slots. The company also offers finance and leasing, along with an OEM and general Parts service.

An innovative, new commercial vehicle contract hire company has just been launched. The company, called Vertellus, was designed to offer modern businesses of all sizes a partner that can help drive fleet performance further,

Vertellus, an independent end-to-end consultancy service, brings together a network of partners to provide insight, strategy and flexibility in order to help businesses unlock opportunity and ensure the fleet is powered, compliant and economical. With a portfolio of more than 3,500 long haul, construction and distribution vehicles, ranging from HGVs and LCVs between 2.7t and 44t, the company has a clear goal of providing industry-leading transport solutions, including through its availability of 100% electric powered vehicles.

Vertellus will be spear headed by a highly qualified team with widespread contract hire experience and will work in partnership with the customer to provide a 360-degree commercial vehicle contract hire service.

“Vertellus is a commercial vehicle contract hire company with a difference. Rooted in partnership, with our highly-trained OEM dealer network and approved partner locations around the UK, Vertellus has been created to support customers on every step of their journey, guaranteeing complete peace-of-mind and quality assurance,” said Nigel Baxter, Managing Director at Vertellus.

“We also understand that customers will be at differing stages of their decarbonisation journey, so the Vertellus team will work to ensure companies have everything required to keep the current diesel fleet powered, compliant and economical, while also having an eye on tomorrow to support delivering long-term goals.”

A full contract hire with Vertellus will include four key elements, such as a personalised consultancy designed to understand how the current fleet operates; the provision of a comprehensive and tailor-made vehicle hire and maintenance solution; additional services like driver training, fleet monitoring, PCN administration, replacement vehicles, tyre management, telematics and more; and an industry-first EV Discovery programme for 16-18T urban rigid vehicles designed to offer operators a unique opportunity to test and understand electric vehicles.

Backed by over 100 years’ experience and knowledge within the Renault Trucks network, Vertellus will provide an additional nationwide reach with more than 60 approved partner locations.

Hexagon Leasing has announced the appointment of Paul Johnson as Head of Supply Chain who will support the business in managing the supply of new vehicles. Paul was formerly Fleet Manager at Go Plant Fleet Services and started in his new role on October 31st.

“We are delighted to welcome Paul to the team in this new role at Hexagon. He has extensive industry experience and will ensure the smooth management of the supply chain and help Hexagon achieve its ambitious future growth plans,” said Alan Ellison, CEO at Hexagon Leasing.

His appointment follows that of Alan as CEO in June this year as well as a new National Account and Business Development Manager, Head of Sales and Head of National Accounts as Hexagon strengthens its management team and continues to drive its growth strategy and development plans.

Paul will be based at Hexagon’s head office in Burton.