Reopening in-person activity
IBIA Asias office is opening up in a calibrated way in line with Singapore’s recovery from Covid-19
In August 2021, Singapore eased some Covid-19 restrictions as more than 70% of the city-state’s population had been fully vaccinated with two doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Singapore has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates against the virus. IBIA Asia’s Singapore office staff and trainers are all fully vaccinated too, and we are bringing back in-person training. We are prepared, in case Covid-19 restrictions are imposed again, for conducting live online training to keep bunker industry training sustainable during this time of uncertainty.
IBIA Asia first Webinar
IBIA Asia hosted the first IBIA Asia webinar- “Bunkering Innovation- Bunkering Digitalisation and its legal landscape” on 22 June 2021. It was well-received, attracting over 100 delegates globally. The webinar was co-sponsored by two new Asia members: Helmsman LLC and Bunkerchain Pte Ltd. For those who missed the webinar, it can still be viewed on YouTube via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-bOXjucVx0
For Asia-based bunker industry stakeholders, if you are interested in sponsoring any future IBIA Asia webinar, feel free to contact me to discuss further in detail on regionalmanagerasia@ibia.net
Technical Committee participation in Singapore Council
I have been nominated to represent International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), Asia, as the Chairman for the Singapore Accreditation Council Technical Committee for Cargo Inspection (TCCI) for a three-year term from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2024.
I also represent IBIA Asia in the Singapore Chemical Industry Council Technical Committees for Bunkering and LNG Bunkering, aiming to drive and be part of the Singapore Standards for Bunkering both conventional fuels and LNG.
The Technical Committee for Bunkering has approved the Draft of the revised SS 524 – Singapore Standard Specification for Quality Management for Bunker Supply Chain (QMBS). The Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC) will issue the Draft Standard for a two-month public comment from 3 September 2021 to 5 November 2021. The public comment form is available on https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/quality-standards/standards/for-companies/comment-on-draft-standards
Current Training Programme
The IBIA Asia office offers mandatory training for the bunker sector in Singapore with courses that have been approved and certified by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). They are:
- Singapore Standard SS 648:2019 – 1 Day Training for currently approved Bunker Surveyors and Cargo Officers. In 2020, we conducted the training for 90% of certified cargo officers and bunker surveyors.
- Singapore Standard SS 600:2014 + SS 648:2019 – 2 Days Advanced Training for new Bunker Surveyors and Cargo Officers.
The IBIA Asia office also offers specialised training for the bunker sector in Singapore with our MPA-approved course, Understanding Marine Fuel. We completed two successful live on line-courses in October and November 2020. IBIA Asia is planning to hold this course again in October/ November 2021.
If you are interested in becoming part of the bunker community through IBIA membership or interested in the bunkering training offered by IBIA Asia, we encourage you to contact Noraini at noraini@ibia.net or myself on the details below.
Alex Tang, MIPM CMarSci MIMarEST
Regional Manager: Asia
M +65 88766491