Connecting People, Purpose, and Progress

Siti Noraini Zaini, IBIA’s Regional Manager, Asia, reports on recent developments

As 2025 draws to a close, Asia’s marine fuels landscape continues to evolve at pace—driven by tightening regulations, the regional uptake of low-carbon fuels, and renewed focus on operational accountability. Against this backdrop, IBIA Asia remains steadfast in its role as a bridge between policy, practice, and people—strengthening industry capabilities through training, engagement, and collaboration.

Driving Readiness through

Training and Standards

IBIA Asia continues to prioritise industry readiness through sustained engagement and collaboration with stakeholders across the region. The focus remains on strengthening technical competencies, aligning operational practices with evolving standards, and fostering a shared culture of safety, integrity, and transparency.

Throughout the quarter, discussions and preparatory work have centred on enhancing future training frameworks and expanding regional cooperation. These efforts aim to ensure that the industry remains well-positioned to meet new regulatory expectations and to manage the operational complexities of a multi-fuel future across Asia’s key bunkering hubs.

A Unified Brand for a

Global Community

2025 marked a new chapter for IBIA with the launch of its refreshed brand identity, symbolising unity, transparency, and progress across the global bunkering community. The rebranding reflects IBIA’s evolution from a representative body into a proactive, solutions-driven association that connects industry, policy and innovation.

This refreshed identity embodies the values that define IBIA today; inspiring, warm, precise and helpful. It reinforces our role as the voice of the global marine fuels supply chain: one that listens, informs, and acts with integrity. Our language is confident yet conversational, professional yet inclusive — reflecting the association’s long-standing commitment to clarity, collaboration, and credibility.

For IBIA Asia, this renewed identity strengthens our mission to connect people, purpose, and progress — building a more informed, engaged, and forward-looking bunkering community that thrives on trust, dialogue and shared vision.

Charting Asia’s Alternative-Fuels Transition

Across Asia, conversations on future fuels continue to gather pace as ports and industry players prepare for the next phase of maritime decarbonisation. IBIA Asia remains actively engaged in dialogues on the safe adoption of alternative fuels such as methanol, LNG, ammonia, and biofuels, alongside the supporting frameworks needed to safeguard operational and environmental integrity.

The IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee’s (MEPC) Extraordinary Session 2, held in mid-October 2025, highlighted both the complexity and differing national positions surrounding the proposed Net-Zero Framework under MARPOL Annex VI. The vote to adopt was deferred to 2026, underscoring the challenges of reconciling timelines, carbon-pricing mechanisms and global fuel standards.

While the outcome introduced uncertainty, it also strengthened the case for proactive preparation. IBIA continues its work at the IMO, in technical committees and regional dialogues to advance pragmatic, globally aligned decarbonisation pathways without compromising safety, operational integrity or supply stability.

In parallel, IBIA Asia collaborates with partners and stakeholders to ensure that guidance on alternative-fuel bunkering remains practical and implementable. These efforts contribute to a more harmonised and resilient ecosystem—one ready to support scalable, safe and transparent bunkering in a multi-fuel future.

Looking Ahead to 2026

As the industry enters 2026, IBIA Asia’s focus will remain on capacity-building, collaboration and policy engagement to support an increasingly complex fuel landscape. Continued efforts will strengthen technical competencies, align operational standards and ensure readiness for new regulatory and fuel developments across the region.

Preparations are now in their final stages for the IBIA Annual Convention 2025 in Hong Kong, held during Hong Kong Maritime Week (18–20 November 2025). The event will bring together global and regional leaders to exchange perspectives on fuel transition strategies, compliance readiness and digitalisation in marine energy. With a strong regional lens, the Convention will serve as a bridge between international frameworks and global best practices shaping the future of marine fuels.

We’re pleased to share that the IBIA Asia Dinner 2026 will be held on 22 April 2026, in conjunction with Singapore Maritime Week. The dinner will once again bring together members, partners and friends from across the industry to celebrate collaboration, recognise contributions and strengthen connections within the bunkering and marine energy community. Keep an eye out for early bird table sales launching this December!

Beyond these milestones, IBIA Asia will continue to work closely with regulators, industry partners and stakeholders to ensure that training and policy development advance hand in hand. Whether through contributions at the IMO, regional consultations or technical working groups, IBIA’s mission remains constant: to champion a safe, standardised and sustainable future for marine fuels.

I look forward to catching up with familiar faces and meeting new ones at the Convention in Hong Kong!

Siti Noraini Zaini

Regional Manager, IBIA Asia

[email protected]

www.ibia.net