Simon Turner, general manager Southern UK at ASCO UK, reflects on the importance of creating a supportive sector network.

ASCO Southern UK has been headquartered in Great Yarmouth since 1984 and I think it’s fair to say it has been a busy time, as we continuously strive to deliver the safest, most efficient and sustainable services in logistics and materials management.

To commemorate the 40-year landmark we recently completed a six-figure investment project to redevelop the offshore marine supply base (Fishwharf) with improved traffic management, extended laydown areas, and a newly furnished warehouse and office complex.

Over to the west of the River Yare, we have an improved Gas House Quay with direct connection to Fishwharf enabled by the new Herring Bridge opened earlier this year. The facility is perfectly suited for projects with heavy lift requirements, specialist storage solutions and contains a separate fuels depot.

In November, ASCO Lowestoft was opened at Orbis Energy to support local operations and deliver business growth within East Anglia. To have an office and be part of a vibrant community is fantastic.

In addition to these facility investments, we have obtained environmental permits for the receipt of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) and ‘ship to shore’ capability for bulk liquids to support and add value to exploration and decommissioning projects.

In regard to sustainability, it’s exciting to see we are exceeding targets to achieve net zero by 2040 with a number of initiatives.

For example, our transport department has changed fuel from diesel to Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in our heavy goods vehicles, delivering a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. We have also added electric units to our lighter fleet of vehicles, further reducing our output.

While it is great to be completing these investments, business success can’t be achieved alone, and we all need help from a supportive network of fellow sector partners.

I’m reflecting on this point while preparing for the SNS2024 conference, which will have taken place by the time this is published. 

The region’s flagship energy conference is organised by the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR), which I became an elected director of last year and had the privilege of picking up the Member of the Year 2023 award for ASCO.

This year, we are once again planning to deliver the most sustainable EEEGR conference to date. To say last year was a success is an understatement, I was really impressed with the take up from everyone involved and especially our collaborative partner, Radical Waste, which we are teaming up with again, and this time it attends as one of our newest EEEGR members.

So, with investment and time well spent with our network of sector colleagues, we find ourselves in an improved position to deliver our range of ‘end-to-end’ services to all the energy sectors in the East of England.

In terms of regional spread, we are widening our scope with growth opportunities secured in the Northeast of England that will demonstrate our transitioning capabilities within the UK energy sector with positive news to follow.

It’s an exciting time, we are enjoying working hard to make sure ASCO maintains its position as a market leader, and helping our collaborative partners achieve their goals, too.