The EU’s Vision Zero initiative, aiming for zero fatalities and serious injuries on European roads by 2050, has brought road safety into sharp focus.

While infrastructure improvements and driver training remain important, the spotlight has shifted to standardising vehicle safety technology. This is the aim of the EU General Safety Regulation (GSR), a comprehensive framework mandating advanced safety features in new vehicles.

For Europe’s largest asset-based logistics company, Girteka, the results are already evident. The GSR was introduced to tackle the human error factor, which accounts for up to 90% of road accidents, and to make vehicles safer for both occupants and Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) such as pedestrians and cyclists. Its phased implementation began in July 2022 for new vehicle types with basic advanced systems, progressing to all new registrations in July 2024, requiring a full suite of eight mandatory Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on trucks and buses, including blind spot detection, advanced emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, intelligent speed assistance, and driver fatigue monitoring.

Eurostat reports that in 2024 there were over 4 million goods vehicles registered in the EU, with vehicles over 30 tonnes completing 83.1% of total freight transport in tonne-kilometres. HGVs under two years old accounted for 20.2% of road freight, highlighting the sector’s rapid fleet renewal. Manufacturers including Volvo, Scania, Mercedes-Benz, DAF, and MAN have embraced the regulations, incorporating ADAS technologies that were previously optional.

Real-world impact

Scania noted that its trucks already had “most of the required safety assistance technology,” while DAF and Volvo confirmed compliance and projected further advancements in active safety technology. Anna Wrige Berling, Traffic and Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks, said, “Looking further ahead, trucks will become more intelligent and more active when it comes to safety, with more features that intervene rather than just inform,” emphasising that drivers remain “the most important safety system in the truck.”

Girteka’s experience demonstrates the real-world impact of these regulations. Since July 2024, the company has added over 2,400 GSR-compliant trucks to its fleet, with plans for up to 8,000 more by 2026. Internal data shows a 10% reduction in accidents within a year, particularly in low-speed manoeuvres, small collisions, and blind spot incidents, the very scenarios the new ADAS technologies were designed to address.

Dainius Augutis, Transport Function & Support Department Manager at Girteka, said, “The EU's GSR is a powerful market signal that pushes safety technology from a premium add-on to a universal standard. The collaboration between fleet owners like Girteka, who provide the data and demand, and manufacturers, who provide the engineering, is what makes Vision Zero achievable.”

Beyond metrics, the human impact is profound. Drivers benefit from safer conditions and lower stress, communities face reduced risks, and clients experience fewer disruptions. By combining regulation, advanced technology, and comprehensive driver training, Girteka shows that safety excellence is inseparable from operational excellence. The company’s results underline that well-designed regulations and proactive fleet investment can accelerate safety innovation, offering a blueprint for the future of safer, smarter logistics across Europe.

ACWA Power has confirmed a joint development agreement with Bapco Energies, which will see the co-development of a solar power plant in Saudi Arabia which transmits electricity to Bapco's load center in Bahrain

The plant will be developed in several stages, with a final generation capacity of around 2.8 GW expected upon completion.

ACWA Power's vice chairman and managing director, Raad Al Saady, was at the announcement of the co-development project at a Saudi–Bahraini Coordination Council meeting. "This joint agreement with Bapco Energies is a testament to the strong bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and our shared commitment to a sustainable and secure energy future.

" ACWA Power is proud to help advance a project that strengthens regional energy security and accelerates the shift to renewable power."

The plant will be developed in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and will be equipped with large-scale battery storage tech. Such technology will allow the plant deliver all electrecity generated to Bapco's load centre to support the nation's energy needs and renewable transition.

Bapco Energies' group CEO, Mark Thomas, described the project as "another important milestone in our journey towards energy diversification and regional collaboration.

"By working alongside ACWA Power, Bapco Energies is taking a bold step to ensure long-term energy security for the Kingdom of Bahrain while unlocking the power of renewables."

Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine has won two energy industry awards for its next-generation industrial thermal insulative system Heat-Flex Advanced Energy Barrier (AEB), which not only offers excellent thermal efficiency but also eliminates costly and dangerous corrosion under insulation (CUI)

They include a 2025 Gulf Energy Information Excellence Award for Best Coating/Corrosion Advancement Technology and a 2025 Vaaler Award from Chemical Processing. The Gulf Energy Information Excellence Awards recognise the energy industry’s leading innovations and thought leaders, while the Vaaler Awards, established more than 50 years ago by Chemical Processing, recognise products and services that dramatically improve the operations and economics of chemical processing plants.

Heat-Flex AEB works by building a thick film of highly insulative material on to assets required to maintain operating temperatures up to 350°F (177°C), with excursions to 400°F (204°C). The thermal insulative system retains process heat inside the applied assets, allowing them to continue operating even in extreme environments. It also reduces burn risk for employees working in close proximity to hot assets.

The thermal insulative system rivals the in-service thermal performance of traditional mineral-based insulation systems, due to their tendency to absorb and trap moisture that infiltrates their exterior cladding. This moisture dramatically reduces the insulating capacity of the insulation and contributes to the acceleration of CUI. Heat-Flex AEB maintains thermal consistency and will remain at that same level of insulating capacity throughout its service life.

“We engineered Heat-Flex AEB to replace the bulky mineral-based insulation that’s traditionally used on storage tanks, process vessels, valves, fittings and piping to retain process heat,” said Neil Wilds, global product director, CUI/Testing, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.

“This replacement thereby removes the corrosion zone between traditional insulation and the substrate, eliminating the potential for CUI to form by default. Winning two big industry awards for the technology is a testament to the system’s ability to reduce costs associated with corrosion, improve carbon footprints and enhance efficiencies for operators in the energy industry.”

Traci Purdum, editor-in-chief of Chemical Processing said Sherwin Williams’ Heat-Flex AEB thermal insulative system “represents the kind of breakthrough thinking that not only solves today’s operational challenges but also sets new standards for safety, efficiency and sustainability in chemical processing.”