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A Comprehensive Guide to Oil and Gas Logistics with Suttons

We depend on the energy sector for the fuels, oils, and gases necessary to power our world. Something that often goes without consideration is how they are moved and transported. 

Logistics play a crucial role in this industry, ensuring efficient transportation of oil and gas from extraction sites to processing facilities before distribution to consumers.

An excellent logistical plan improves the efficiency and safety of oil and gas haulage, which is why logistics is integral to the transportation process. 

In this guide, we will explore oil and gas logistics in more detail to better understand the critical processes and challenges involved.

We will also go into some of our processes as a bulk gas logistics provider.

Jump Ahead

Oil and Gas Logistics with Suttons

At Suttons, we prioritise safety in transporting oil and gas across the UK, using specialised tankers to ensure efficient and safe delivery.

With our fleet of tankers, we can cover the entire UK and provide oil and gas logistics to a range of businesses nationally.

These tankers provide the best solution for oil and gas transportation due to their 40,000-litre capacity and distinct, separate chambers. They allow different fuel types to be transported simultaneously without the fear of cross-contamination. 

Thanks to this, we can coordinate efficient fuel loading and unloading, providing quick, quality service for our customers. 

Why Suttons is the Right Choice

fuel tanker at Suttons

As a fuel logistics company, we can provide our customers with the following: 

Safety

Safety is a priority at Suttons.

We take a layered approach that includes advanced technology, rigorous safety training and strict adherence to safety guidelines. 

At Suttons, we provide all of our drivers with extensive training in handling hazardous goods and ensure that they all have their necessary certifications, including but not limited to, an ADR.

This ensures that all our drivers are prepared for potential emergencies on the road. 

Reliability

At Suttons, providing reliable service is a top priority. We know how important it is for customers to receive their products as scheduled, and through meticulous planning, we can guarantee reliability. This is because our high-quality fleet of technologically advanced tankers is designed to provide optimal performance.  Investing so highly in our fleet ensures no delays in our delivery process. 

We focus on monitoring our deliveries. This allows us to track the progress of our tankers and provide accurate updates for our clients so they can plan accordingly. 

Monitoring these deliveries also provides us with valuable information that we can use to further improve the service we provide our clients. 

Scalability.

At Suttons, we offer scalability due to our strategic planning. Thanks to our prior investments in infrastructure and advanced technologies, scalability is always within reach. 

Our diverse fleet of tankers has various capacities, allowing us to carry out oil and gas logistics for all requirements. 

Not only does our current fleet have the capacity to carry out a variety of orders, but we have the potential to expand our fleet to match your requirements. 

Standardising our process has also made scalability possible, as it means that we can replicate our process on a bigger scale without having to reconfigure our methods. 

The Challenges of Oil and Gas Logistics

transporting gas cannisters via road

Plenty of factors make oil and gas logistics slightly challenging for our team, so we always have a plan to deal with all eventualities. 

Here are some of the challenges of oil and gas logistics.

Safety Compliance

At Suttons, safety is a priority with every delivery. 

When transporting oil and gas, we must consider some safety issues, as fuel is considered a hazardous material. 

Firstly, there is the risk of spills. Though unlikely, they are not impossible and can have a huge impact on the local environment if they were to occur. 

Fuels and gases are highly flammable, so there is always the risk of a fire or explosion, especially in a collision.

Limitations Caused by Infrastructure 

Our tankers are always at the mercy of traffic congestion. Big vehicles like ours require substantial space and a reduced speed to transport fuel safely, which can cause delays. 

Though we carefully plan our routes, we have no control over any required maintenance or roadworks, so this may require a rethink and could reduce the speed at which we can deliver our produce. 

When possible, we try to find out about any obstacles before our delivery driver starts their journey, as this allows us to plan accordingly and inform our customers of any delays.

Logistical Difficulties

Due to the nature of the product we transport, we like to plan our transport routes to avoid densely populated areas to ensure a smooth process.  

Because we avoid certain areas, including environmentally sensitive areas, travel distance can sometimes increase, increasing our overall costs. 

Though we like to face these logistical challenges head-on, some circumstances are out of our control. 

Having considered some of the challenges faced in the industry, it becomes evident why Suttons places great importance on maintaining a comprehensive fuel and gas logistics system.

The Importance of Using a Good Transportation Company

fuel road tankers

We know the importance of using a good transportation company. At Suttons, we pride ourselves on providing quality service while keeping our customer’s satisfaction in mind. 

Here are some of the ways that we ensure that we continue to be a good transportation company.

Safety in Transportation

We continuously invest in safety.

Thanks to our rigorous safety protocols and continuous monitoring, we are able to ensure safety in our transportation. Though some of our safety procedures increase our costs, they are crucial to our process and well worth the investment.

Our skilled drivers also receive extensive training, which ensures that transportation runs smoothly and that they are equipped to handle problems if they arise. 

Suttons also has full compliance with UK regulations for transporting hazardous goods, so we have all fronts covered. 

Reliable Transport Solutions

Due to our meticulous and extensive fleet management and robust planning, we maintain a reliable service. 

We have always had a strong customer focus, so reliability is important. 

Route planning and vehicle monitoring are the main ways in which we ensure reliability. These methods allow us to gain valuable insights into our operations statistics, which we can communicate with our customers. 

Maintaining Accountability

At Suttons, we draft comprehensive documentation in accordance with and beyond what we are legally required to do. 

Maintaining detailed documentation on every order allows us to stay accountable. It also gives us full traceability. In case there is an issue with our service, we can locate the source of the problem and confront the issue head-on. 

Another way we can stay accountable is by performing regular inspections of our vehicles and tankers. 

By doing this we can keep a detailed record of the condition of our vehicles and be accountable for our maintenance. 

Effective Supply Chain Management

As logistics providers, we know the importance of keeping your oil or gas supply consistent. Poor planning from a provider could significantly impact a customer if their livelihood depends on the contents. 

Our large fleet of tanker trucks allows us to arrange deliveries to be with our customers as soon as possible. Our advanced supply chain management enables us to communicate with our customers without delay and arrange our deliveries around their schedules.

Maintaining Product Integrity During Transport

Fuel can become contaminated relatively easily, with even the shortest exposure potentially causing irreversible damage; even the smallest amount of water or bacterial contamination can be a disaster.

Depending on what you are using the fuel for, contaminated fuel may be unusable and even dangerous.

At Suttons, we guarantee quality assurance by doing all we can to prevent contamination during transportation. We use a variety of tankers to keep things separate and maintain quality.

If a specific oil or gas needs it, we also have specific tanker linings to help protect the product in transit. 

Connected to a National Network.

We are a logistics provider that operates throughout the UK, with workers stationed at major points nationwide. 

Through our station points, we can facilitate regional coverage, which gives us the upper hand when streamlining our delivery service. We always have someone available to cover each area of the UK.

As we are stationed all over the UK, we can easily coordinate deliveries, meaning that every delivery we complete is fulfilled with the utmost efficiency. 

How We Transport Fuel at Suttons.

With our years of experience, we have concluded that the most effective solution for oil and gas transportation is using a tanker. 

We have a large fleet of tankers to deliver fuel to forecourts nationwide.

Each tanker can store up to 40,000 litres of fuel and has separate compartments, perfect for carrying various fuel types without the worry of cross-contamination.

This also makes distributing the fuel much more efficient, as it is easier to discharge and clean the tanks. 

You can learn more about our process and how we utilise our fleet of fuel tankers here.

Get in Touch With The Specialists at Suttons Tankers.

You have likely discovered how complicated oil and gas logistics can be from this blog post. 

Many factors need to be considered when transporting oil from its extraction point to delivery, so it’s no surprise that it requires expertise management to run successfully. 

As you can tell, our expertise is in oil and gas logistics, so if you are looking for a reliable company to work with, you’ve come to the right place. 

Contact us today to discuss how we can help further with your logistical needs.