Business

Women dominate IBIA’s 2022 board elections, winning 3 out of 4 posts

All three women candidates who stood for election were successful in securing three out of four available positions.

Published

5 years ago

February 23, 2022

Admin

Three of the four available positions in the 2022 International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) board elections have been filled by women, meaning all the women standing for election were successful.

A total of 10 candidates stood for election, with four vacancies to fill.

The four candidates elected for a three-year term starting April 1, 2022 are:

Timothy Cosulich, Fratelli Cosulich, Singapore (re-elected for a second term)
Valeria Sessa, Reseaworld, Italy
Eugenia Benavides, Terpel, Colombia (re-elected for a second term)
Anna Stefanou, PMG Holding, UK

The election results were announced at the IBIA AGM on Monday (21 February).

Prior to the AGM, the current board of IBIA formally elected the chair, vice-chair and treasurer for the year starting April 1, 2022:

Timothy Cosulich, who is currently the vice-chair, will take over as the chair of IBIA.
Constantinos Capetanakis of Starbulk, Greece will be the new vice-chair of IBIA.
Adrian Tolson, Blue Insight, USA will take on the role of Treasurer.

The rest of the IBIA Board that will be starting at the same date are:

Peter Beekhuis, Maersk Oil Trading, Singapore
Eugenia Benavides, Terpel, Colombia
Rahul Choudhuri of VPS, Singapore
Paul Maclons of AMSOL, South Africa
Mustafa Muhtaroglu, Energy Petrol, Turkey
Jesper Rosenkrans, Total Marine Fuels Pte Ltd, Singapore
Valeria Sessa, Reseaworld, Italy
J. Stephen Simms, Simms Showers LLP, USA
Anna Stefanou, PMG Holding, UK
Nicolas Vukelja, Terramar, Panama

The current chair of IBIA, Henrik Zederkof of Bunker Holding, Denmark, and the current treasurer, bunker industry veteran and independent consultant Nigel Draffin. UK, will be stepping down at the end of March 2022, when their elected terms come to an end

Unni Einemo, Director of IBIA, said:

“I was so pleased to see the high number, calibre and variety of candidates in the IBIA board elections both this year and last year; a testament to IBIA’s growing stature and relevance. It is refreshing to see more women join the board, increasing the number from one at present, to three.”

“Henrik has shown such strong drive and commitment to the focus areas he outlined for IBIA when he became chair, and we are lucky to have another driven individual when our current vice-chair, Timothy, steps into the role. Our new vice-chair, Constantinos and our new treasurer, Adrian are both very pro-active and great resources for IBIA. We will miss Henrik and our treasured treasurer Nigel, but we have a great team in place for the year ahead. Besides, you do not have to be a board member to take part in IBIA’s work, so we hope both will remain active members”.

The board also co-opted the chairs of the Interim IBIA Regional Boards for Africa and Asia, respectively, to the IBIA Global Board: Paul Maclons of AMSOL (South Africa) and Rahul Choudhuri of VPS (Singapore).

Choudhuri will replace Timothy Cosulich as the chair of the Interim IBIA Regional Board for Asia on April 1, 2022 when Timothy becomes the chair of IBIA globally.

Photo credit: International Bunker Industry Association
Published: 23 February, 2022

Legal

Shell Singapore charged over Pulau Bukom oil leaks, reporting delays

Shell faces four charges under Singapore’s Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act over two 2024 oil discharge incidents at its Pulau Bukom facility.

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

2 MPA craft (left) supporting Shell craft in the clean up operations of the oil sheens taken on 28 Dec 9am

Shell Singapore has been charged over two incidents in 2024 involving oily mixtures discharged into Singapore waters from its facilities at Pulau Bukom, according to media reports on Tuesday (22 September).

The company faces four charges under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, including allegations that it failed to report the discharges to the port master immediately.

The first incident occurred on 20 October 2024, when approximately 40 metric tonnes (mt) of oily mixture was discharged through a hole in a pipeline at the Shell Singapore Energy and Chemicals Park at about 8am.

Shell is accused of reporting the incident to the port master at about 12.55pm, several hours after the discharge occurred.

The second incident took place between 26 and 28 December 2024. An estimated 485kg to 956kg of oil mixture was discharged into Singapore waters from the same facility.

Shell is accused of failing to report the incident immediately, with notification to the port master made at about 11.50am on 26 December 2024, according to the charges.

Singapore’s pollution-prevention regulations require occupiers of such facilities to report oil or oily-mixture discharges into Singapore waters “without delay and to the fullest extent possible”.

Shell’s representative requested an eight-week adjournment at the 22 September hearing, citing the need to obtain internal instructions, appoint counsel and locate historical records. The company said the business associated with the incidents had been divested in 2025.

The case was adjourned to October. Shell is also facing prosecution by Singapore’s National Environment Agency over the same incidents.

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 25 September, 2026

Incident

MPA probes Singapore Strait collision involving fishing vessel, bulk carrier

MPA says there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel in the incident involving China-registered fishing vessel “Lu Qing Yuan Yu” and Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux” .

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

Panama-registered bulk carrier “First Margaux”

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (22 September) said it is investigating the incident involving the China-registered fishing vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu and the Panama-registered bulk carrier First Margaux in the Singapore Strait on 17 September.

MPA said there were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel or pollution arising from the incident and navigational traffic was not affected.

Videos circulating on social media showed the bulk carrier colliding with the fishing vessel.

“The fishing vessel took on water during the incident but remained afloat and stable, with the crew taking measures to manage the situation onboard,” MPA said.

The vessel was subsequently towed to Raffles Reserved Anchorage for assessment.

Essential crew remained onboard to support the tow, while the Singapore Civil Defence Force supported the transfer of other crew to shore.

MPA added it also issued navigational safety broadcasts to keep other vessels clear of the tow and escorted the vessel into port with a MPA craft.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Arnold Pohen
Published: 25 September, 2026

Mass Flowmeter

TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Bunker barge “Kingston Trader” is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

Published

9 hours ago

September 25, 2026

Admin

TFG Marine deploys first MFM-equipped bunker barge in Jamaica

Global marine fuel supply and procurement firm TFG Marine on Thursday (24 September) said its bunker barge Kingston Trader is currently on its way to Jamaica following the successful installation of a Coriolis mass flow meter (MFM) system, certified to ISO 22192.

The company said the latest installation brings the proportion of TFG Marine’s fleet equipped with MFMs to approximately 88%, marking another step in the continued rollout of this technology across its global bunkering operations.

“The barge will operate in Jamaica through our local partnership with Scott Petroleum, becoming the first bunkering vessel in the region equipped with this technology and bringing greater accuracy, transparency and assurance to fuel measurement for customers across the Caribbean,” TFG Marine said in a social media post.

“Together with Scott Petroleum, we look forward to working collaboratively with the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, the The Port Authority of Jamaica, Petrojam Limited and other stakeholders to share our experience of MFM technology, explore its wider benefits and support the continued development of bunkering standards across the region.”

Manifold Times previously reported TFG Marine continuing to expand MFM technology across its US Gulf Coast bunker fleet with Buffalo B414 and Buffalo B304 being fitted with the equipment.

Last year, TFG Marine announced it reached a key milestone in its global digitalisation programme with the installation of an ISO 22192-compliant MFM on the Buffalo 404, a barge on time charter from American bunker barge company Buffalo Marine Service Inc.

The installation was part of TFG Marine’s wider strategy to equip close to 90% of its global bunkering fleet with MFMs by 2026 as a commitment towards improving data integrity, streamlining operations and strengthening trust in marine fuel transactions.

Photo credit: TFG Marine
Published: 25 September, 2026