The price of diesel fuel may have inched up slightly but, as Transport Minister Ewart Brown put it "we're making black smoke disappear".

At a press conference yesterday, Dr. Brown and Environment Minister Dennis Lister said that sulphur free, environment-friendly, diesel was now available at the pumps.

"Lowering the sulphur will reduce emissions of dark smoke from tail pipes," said Mr. Lister. "It will reduce emissions of sulphur dioxides, and will generally help to improve air quality. Reducing black smoke from tail pipes will be a welcomed outcome for the motoring public, especially those on motorcycles who have experienced following a smoking vehicle. Reducing tailpipe emissions will also have a positive impact on our health as studies have shown that vehicle emissions cause eye and throat irritations and can contribute to asthma."

He added that the introduction of low lead gasoline in 1990 had led to a 95 percent reduction of lead in the air in a matter of weeks and a similar impact was expected with the new fuel.

Mr. Lister stressed that motorists should take good care of their engines. "Good maintenance saves fuel and reduces emissions," he said.

Esso general manager Ed Edelson said there was a premium on the world markets for the green fuel and it would be passed on to the consumer.

But the move is in line with recently passed legislation intended to reduce fuel emissions from vehicles and it means that all fuel imported onto the Island is now comparable to that offered in the United States and the European Union.

Shell and Esso moved quickly last month to investigate the cause of engine trouble experienced by some taxis shortly after the fuel hit the pumps last month.

They have jointly set up a scheme to compensate affected taxi owners for repairs and for lost business.

To date 11 claims have been processed, 13 are being processed and another 27 claims are still to be processed.

Shell general manager John Vickerman told The Royal Gazette that, while the results of the tests had not been received, the green diesel "could be" responsible for the faulty engines, given the timing of the reports.

But he stressed that only about ten percent of the Island's taxis had been affected and that there were many more vehicles on the roads that experienced no problems with the fuel.