Call to action

Welcome to IBIA’s August newsletter, which, as you can see, is a call to action. We want you, our members, to get involved in a number of initiatives that we have chosen to focus on to deliver tangible benefits for you and our industry.

The focus of this month’s newsletter is various invitations for you to participate in IBIA Working Groups to deliver on three distinct projects:

• The IBIA Supplier’s Guide to Best Practice – a comprehensive initiative that will also feed into a submission to the IMO
• The IBIA Guide to Best Ethical Practice – providing an aspirational ethical code for the bunker industry
• The IBIA 2020 Portal –an online information resource with relevant information and updates provided by the industry’s leading experts

Our message is loud and clear: Help us to help you!

This newsletter also includes IBIA’s comments on our support for the continued efforts to protect the integrity of mass flow metering systems in Singapore, where we are also part of a cross industry group proposing the use of approved MFMs when bunker tankers load cargoes at oil terminals. And we have a report exclusively for our members from the IMO’s Council meeting in July, where the future priorities for the IMO were discussed.

As August draws to a close, many of you are returning from holidays, refreshed and energised. We at IBIA will certainly need this energy for the months ahead as we work hard to deliver on the three initiatives, stay abreast of developments at the IMO at multiple week-long meetings during September, October and November, and deliver quality events for our members.

During the week of September 11 to 15 we will be exceptionally busy as we participate in London International Shipping Week (LISW), where we are organising a forum on how the IMO will regulate the 2020 sulphur cap and associated issues. We have a great line-up of speakers and panelists and expect lively debate and a full house of attendees.

During the same week, we are also attending the 4th session of the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC) which will continue discussions on adding new chapters to the IGF Code on low flashpoint fuels that have substantially different safety and operational requirements than LNG, which the IGF Code is currently providing regulations for. Later in September, we will attend the he Sub-Committee on Implementation of IMO Instruments (III) which brings together flag, port and coastal States to consider implementation issues. We will keep you posted on relevant developments.

We have not been resting in August, as we continued working on delivering a great programme for our Annual Convention which will be held in Singapore in early November, and we have been putting together the autumn edition of our magazine, World Bunkering. The Convention will be the first chance for you to hear how we are getting on with the best practice guides and also another IBIA initiative, our Port Charter.

We have also taken bookings for hundreds of seats at our prestigious Annual Dinner in February as many of you decided to take advantage of our special ‘Early Bird’ rates.

I look forward to seeing you at one or more of our events and hope many of you will respond to our call for action!

Justin Murphy
Chief Executive Officer, IBIA
justin.murphy@ibia.net