Connect with us

Business

IBIA: It’s business, just not as usual

‘Shipping is the engine of global trade and the bunker industry fuels that engine. We must keep the engine running,’ reminds IBIA Director.
Admin

Published

6 years ago

on

imageedit 1 6378376094

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) on Tuesday (31 March) published a message to the bunkering industry on adaptations to maintain operations despite the COVID-19 pandemic:

How quickly the world has changed. No sooner had we navigated relatively successfully into the new 2020 global low-sulphur era, when an unexpected and unprecedented challenge came our way. The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has caused a rapidly developing global emergency with impacts that we will not fully understand for some time yet. The uncertainty is palpable. In the middle of all this, we must remember: shipping is the engine of global trade and the bunker industry fuels that engine. We must keep the engine running.

Efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 have caused many countries to impose strict measures, in particular limitations on the movement of people. But shipping needs to continue to keep the world’s population supplied with food, energy and other vital goods, and for raw materials and manufactured goods to flow in order to keep the economy going. Around 80% of global trade is transported by commercial shipping, according to UNCTAD statistics. IBIA therefore wholeheartedly supports calls from the IMO and various maritime organisations to ensure that disruptions to shipping services are kept to a minimum.

We are all becoming increasingly well informed about how to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Most of us are now familiar with the concepts of social distancing to avoid airborne transmission of the virus, to wash or sanitise our hands after handling potentially contaminated surfaces and/or being in proximity to people who might have the virus.

Thankfully, as more and more countries impose lockdowns preventing many of us from going to our offices, modern technology facilitates working remotely, and we’re quickly adapting to it. It’s business, just not quite as usual.

It is different for those involved in physical operations. IBIA issued practical advice on precautionary measures for bunkering operations on 16 March. Since then, some countries now avoid all physical interaction between crew on receiving ships and service providers such as bunker suppliers. To keep shipping moving, industry participants are adapting procedures for managing various aspects remotely.

IBIA’s staff in Singapore, South Africa and the UK are operating in line with national guidelines on current COVID-19 safety measures. We have full digital connectivity meaning we are available for our members as usual. We are also working on more ways to connect and interact digitally, both via our website and online platforms to provide alternatives to training and events until it is deemed safe to host these physically.

We hope that you, your family and colleagues stay healthy and that your business has the resilience to get through this difficult period. We are all in the same boat and we all share the same aim: to keep the boat afloat.

Unni Einemo, Director, International Bunker Industry Association

[email protected]


Photo credit and source: IBIA
Published: 1 April, 2020

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Winding up

Singapore: Liquidators of Nan Ho Maritime, Nan Xin Maritime issue notices of dividend

Nan Ho Maritime’s second interim dividend and Nan Xin Maritime’s second and final dividend are payable from 4 September, according to Government Gazette notices.
Admin

Published

5 hours ago

on

September 7, 2026

By

Resized benjamin child

Notices of dividend for Nan Ho Maritime Pte Ltd and Nan Xin Maritime Pte Ltd, which are currently in creditors’ voluntary liquidation, were published on the Government Gazette on Friday (4 September). 

The following are the details of the notice for Nan Ho Maritime:

Name of Company : Nan Ho Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 200814315C
Address of Former Registered Office : 21 Bukit Batok Crescent, #22-70 WCEGA Tower, Singapore 658065
Amount per centum : 2.305 per centum of all admitted ordinary claims
First and Final or otherwise : Second interim dividend
When Payable : 4 September 2026 onwards
Where Payable : c/o AAG Corporate Advisory Pte. Ltd., 11 Collyer Quay, #07-02 The Arcade, Singapore 049317

The following are the details of the notice for Nan Xin Maritime:

Name of Company : Nan Xin Maritime (Pte.) Ltd. (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation)
Unique Entity No. / Registration No. : 201701966W
Address of Former Registered Office : 21 Bukit Batok Crescent, #22-70 WCEGA Tower, Singapore 658065
Amount per centum : 3.980 per centum of all admitted ordinary claims
First and Final or otherwise : Second and final dividend
When Payable : 4th day of September 2026 onwards
Where Payable : c/o AAG Corporate Advisory Pte. Ltd., 11 Collyer Quay, #07-02 The Arcade, Singapore 049317

 

Photo credit: Benjamin Child
Published: 7 September, 2026

Continue Reading

LNG Bunkering

Singapore-based EPS takes delivery of three LNG dual-fuel bulk carriers

Three vessels are the third, fourth and fifth in the company’s series of 14 Newcastlemaxes being built at the yard, and were delivered five months ahead of their contracted delivery dates.
Admin

Published

6 hours ago

on

September 7, 2026

By

35

Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) on Friday (4 September) announced the naming and delivery of three new LNG dual-fuel Newcastlemax bulk carriers from China’s Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding. 

Cyril Ducau, CEO of EPS, said the vessels were named Mount Victoria, Mount Yulong and Mount Wuyi. 

The three vessels are the third, fourth and fifth in the company’s series of 14 Newcastlemaxes being built at the yard, and were delivered five months ahead of their contracted delivery dates.

“A big thank you to CSSC Group and Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, working alongside our EPS team, for the tremendous collaboration and commitment behind this achievement,” Ducau said in a social media post.  

 

Photo credit: Eastern Pacific Shipping
Published: 7 September, 2026

Continue Reading

Port & Regulatory

ISWG-GHG 22: IMO working group aims to present NZF text at MEPC 85

The Chair expressed his observation of a genuine willingness within the Group to make concrete further progress at the next ISWG-GHG meeting and work towards presenting text to MEPC 85.
Admin

Published

6 hours ago

on

September 7, 2026

By

IMO

The Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 22) met for its 22nd meeting from 1 to 4 September 2026, chaired by Mr. Sveinung Oftedal (Norway), according to the International Maritime Organization on Friday (4 September). 

According to a meeting summary by IMO, the meeting had a high level of participation, with nearly 1200 registered participants, in person and online.

During the meeting participants considered the following agenda items:

Consideration of proposals, including documents submitted to MEPC 84 and 85, previous sessions of ISWG-GHG, as well as documents submitted to ISWG-GHG 22, on how to address concerns with the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI on the Net-Zero Framework, in line with the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy

Following constructive discussions, the Chair expressed his observation of a genuine willingness within the Group to make concrete further progress at the next ISWG-GHG meeting and work towards presenting text to MEPC 85 that adequately addresses the noted progress made in the consideration of proposals on how to address concerns raised regarding the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI on the mid-term measure.

The Group invited interested delegations to continue to consult intersessionally to address remaining concerns with the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, in line with the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy, taking into account views expressed at the Group’s session, with a view to submitting concrete proposals reflecting enhanced convergence allowing timely adoption and effective implementation.

Further consideration of the draft guidelines supporting the uniform and effective implementation of IMO’s mid-term measures.

The Group held a preliminary exchange of views on this agenda item, although time became a limiting factor and the Group and agreed to defer the consideration of all documents submitted to this session under this agenda item to ISWG-GHG 23 (23-27 November 2026).

Further consideration of the development of the IMO Life Cycle GHG Assessment (LCA) framework.

Due to time constraints, the Group was not able to consider the agenda item related to the IMO Life Cycle GHG Assessment (LCA) framework. The Group deferred the consideration of those documents to ISWG-GHG 23, in conjunction with the report of the fourth meeting of the GESAMP-LCA Working Group expected to be submitted to MEPC 85.

Next steps

The next meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 23) is scheduled for 23 to 27 November 2026, ahead of MEPC 85 (30 November to 3 December).

The second extraordinary session of MEPC (adjourned last October) is scheduled to resume on 4 December, subject to discussions at MEPC 85.

 

Photo credit: International Maritime Organization
Published: 7 September, 2026

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS



Trending