Energising days in Houston

Energising days in Houston

IBIA’s Annual Convention and the first ever Americas Board meeting highlighted the importance of both global and regional engagement

I am writing this letter right as our IBIA Annual Convention draws to a close in Houston.

The four days I spent in the US have been energising to say the least, highlighting once again how relevant the work that IBIA is doing is and how important it is that we communicate about what we do to be the voice of the marine fuel industry and, at the same time, gather feedback from members on how we can keep on growing and improving.

Decarbonisation and market uncertainties, as usual, dominated most of the conversations in Houston and I found it very encouraging to see IBIA members and industry players at large engaging in constructive discussions on what the future of our sector looks like. Plenty of disagreements, of course, which I personally find very positive as by evaluating different alternatives and points of view will likely allow us, as an industry, to reach a better end situation.

I am extremely grateful to our Secretariat team and to the IBIA Events Working Group for making this event a success as we returned to the US after many years.

Part of the “energy” revolving around the Houston event came from our first ever Americas Regional Board meeting, chaired by our IBIA Treasurer Adrian Tolson. As an attendee to the meeting, I had the opportunity to appreciate how important it is – for an organisation like IBIA – to maintain a balance between having a global perspective as well as a deep understanding of regional and local dynamics.

The discussions I had with the Regional Board as well as with other convention attendees, also reinforced the idea of how central our seat at the IMO is in the context of being the industry voice, representing our members’ ideas and concerns. The work that Unni has done – and that she continues to do – is incredibly appreciated not only by IBIA members themselves, but also from industry players. We are grateful for the deep know-how that Unni is able to bring to the table as this is certainly one of the factors that makes IBIA special.

I will close with a now common “call to action” from my side. Do not forget that IBIA is a member-led organisation and IBIA’s success depends on whether members take the initiative and dedicate their time and effort to enabling real change in the industry. We are living through challenging and exciting times for the marine fuel industry and the opportunity for change and evolution to happen is there, and we count on all members to raise their hand and take the opportunity to join a Regional Board, a Working Group or the Global Board!

I look forward to seeing you all in person in London for our Annual Gala Dinner and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Association.

Ciao
Timothy Cosulich, Chair

The above is the Chair’s letter for the Q4, 2022 issue of World Bunkering, IBIA’s official magazine.

Share this: