GREEN ISSUES
2 Oct 07. Plans to recycle veteran warship of the Falklands conflict. The former Royal Navy amphibious assault ship Fearless, which was a key part of the Falklands fleet, is expected to be recycled at a Belgian shipyard, the Ministry of Defence announced today. The 12,000-tonne vessel has been moored in Portsmouth Harbour since leaving service in 2002. Fearless was replaced by the much larger and better-equipped assault ship, HMS Bulwark. Van Heyghen Recycling was selected as the preferred bidder by the MoD’s Disposal Services Authority (DSA) following an open competition. The company was selected against a range of criteria that included a guarantee to recycle as much of this ship as possible. Van Heyghen can now apply for all necessary approvals to carry out this work. The contract will not be placed until these permissions have been secured and the MOD is satisfied that the work can be carried out in compliance with all UK and EU laws and international agreements.
27 Sep 07. Boeing, Air New Zealand and Rolls-Royce today announced a Memorandum of Understanding to conduct a biofuel demonstration flight designed to help accelerate the development of viable and sustainable alternative fuels for commercial aviation uses. Boeing is exploring second-generation biofuel feed stocks and processes that have the potential to reduce greenhouse gases throughout their entire lifecycle. The demonstration flight is planned for the second half of 2008 using an Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 equipped with Rolls-Royce engines. Boeing is in discussions with fuel-source providers around the globe to identify potential biofuels that are available in suitable quantities for laboratory and jet-engine performance testing and in compliance with stringent aviation requirements. Additional details will be announced closer to the actual demonstration flight date.
Oct 07. Zero waste from Leyland truck plant. Daf’s Leyland truck plant this week moves to a zero waste regime. “This means 100% recycling or the re-use of all waste, with nothing sent to landfill sites,” says Jim Sumner, production director. “We’re determined to play a real role in cutting ours and our trucks’ environmental impact and this is one very clear win for us and our customers.” Daf says the plant is already acknowledged as one of most efficient truck plants in the world, with class-leading man-hours per truck figures.
02 Oct 07. Land Rover, whose sport utility vehicles are prime targets for green-minded lawmakers, will cut the average carbon dioxide emissions of its vehicles by some 20 per cent by 2012 – more than the average cuts the European Union is seeking, according to its managing director. The brand and its sister Jaguar marque, which their owner Ford Motor wants to sell, are investing £700m ($1.43bn) in CO2 improvements in their five-year business plan, with most of the money earmarked for Land Rover, Phil Popham told the Financial Times. The EU is preparing legislation requiring carmakers to reduce their cars’ average CO2 emissions through improved vehicle technology to 130 grams per kilometre by 2012, about 18 per cent lower than last year’s average of 160 g/km. Land Rover, like BMW, Porsche, and other premium carmakers, is unlikely to meet the target, and favours legislation that will take into account vehicles’ weight, size or other relative factors when mandating cuts. (Source: FT.com)