INT suggests removing 230 GRW fuel tankers from roads
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By Chris Tindall
THE DEPARTMENT for Transport (DfT) has proposed a staged withdrawal of 230 imported fuel tankers that are wrongly certified under dangerous goods regulations.
Following CM's report that the tankers built by GRW in South Africa did not comply with ADR regulations (CM 24 October) — and that the DfT had known about the problem for more than a year — transport minister Robert Goodwill made a statement to Parliament last week. "Safety is paramount," he said.
"That is why we are taking precautionary action now to minimise risks and any potential impact on fuel supply."
The DfT confirmed that the problem centred on the welding of the tank shell and manway neck rings on the tankers.
Although they were certified as meeting international standards by Bureau Veritas in South Africa, they did not meet the Europeanagreement concerning the carriage of dangerous goods.
"About 230 of the tankers are in operation in the UK and account for approximately 12% of the fleet of vehicles delivering road fuel," Goodwill added.
"Some of these tankers have been on the road for more than seven years and collectively they have travelled millions of miles without a serious incident.
"We are not complacent about the risks and it is important that this remedial work is carried out as soon as is practical," he said.
"This would involve tankers over six years old being taken out of service first, with modifications on newer models to allow a staged withdrawal of these vehicles over subsequent months." A spokesperson for Hoyer Global Transport, which operates GRW tankers, said: "The safety and integrity of our operations are
paramount, so we are taking these investigations, which are ongoing, seriously and working with the authorities and GRW to clarify and resolve the situation. In the meantime, the tankers are safe to continue in operation.
"We are exploring all possible options that include, among others, technical modifications to the tankers.
"Discussions and work to determine the best solution to these issues with all involved parties are ongoing."
Suttons Transport is also known to operate GRW tankers on its Harvest Energy contract, but declined to comment.