As a result of continued repeat business from all sectors of the market, together with a general widening of our customer base ( especially within Ireland), mid year brought about expansion I restructuring of our shop floor facilities to meet demand.

The increased demand within Ireland has been secured with the assistance of, and is ably supported by our long established associations with Maine Engineering of Ballymena and Otter Engineering of Dublin.

Additional investment is also planned to further assist production with the purchase of a Blue Valley tank end flanging machine.

With electronic metering and product transfer systems now widely accepted, new legislation governing the dipping of Petroleum carrying tankers and the noticeable shift to aluminium vessels appear to be the main areas of interest.

With the kind permission of WCF Fuels, Tasca Tankers are exhibiting a 19,500 litres capacity, 5 - compartment, mild steel, BE / VR (sealed delivery system) rigid type road tanker mounted onto a Scania P114 - 340 chassis / daycab.
                                                                                                             

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT 1990, PART 1

ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS (DETR), THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE AND THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES

USE OF DIPSTICKS ON MOBILE CONTAINERS PUT INTO OPERATION AFTER 31 DECEMBER 1999: GUIDANCE REPLACING AQ9(99)

Further to guidance note PGI/13(96) and PG1/14(96), we are issuing this additional guidance following questions from a number of organisations about the implementation of Article 5 of European Directive 94/63/EC on the control of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations.

Under Article 5 it is stated that "mobile containers which supply petrol to service stations and terminals shall be designed and operated so as to accept and retain return vapours from storage installations at the service stations or terminals . By virtue of Article5(3) this applies to operations using dipsticks in relation to mobile containers put into operation after 31 December 1999.

Article 5 is implemented into UK law by the Approved Tank Requirements* under regulation 6(c) of the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/2095). These state under paragraph 18 that "The measurement of the content of the tank or compartment of a mobile container first taken into use after 31 December 1999 shall not be made by a method which involves opening any part of the tank which would allow vapour to be released into the atmosphere . The use of dipsticks in new mobile containers is thus prohibited both when petrol is delivered to service stations and when undelivered petrol is returned to terminals.

Regulatory Changes

The Approved Tank Requirements only apply to tanks or the compartments of a mobile container transporting petrol. The use of dipsticks for tanks or mobile containers carrying diesel or heating oil, continues to be allowed except where these fuels are carried in mobile tankers in which petrol is also being earned or where there is residual petrol vapour in any compartment This is because the tanker compartments are connected by a vapour manifold, so any use of a dipstick on a tanker carrying petrol or petrol vapour, whether or not in a compartment containing petrol, will lead to the emission of petrol vapour and therefore contravene the Directive.