Singapore To Hold International Bunkering Conference

The 12th Singapore International Bunkering Conference (SIBCON) 2002, to be held from September 26-28, 2002 at the Shangri-La, Singapore, will be officially opened by Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Senior Minister of State for Transport, and Information, Communications & the Arts on 26 Sep 2002. Khaw would also be delivering the opening address for the ceremony. This biennial event will bring together some 25 maritime and marine fuel experts from around the world to speak on the latest international trends and developments in bunkering, and the challenges facing the industry. They represent the oil majors, shipping lines, bunker traders, bunker suppliers, and classification societies. The theme of the 2-day conference is “From Customer Service to Customer Satisfaction: Towards Bunkering Excellence in Today’s Market”. The conference will feature five main sessions, namely “Customer Requirements in the Changing World Fuel Oil Market”, “International Conventions and Impact on Bunkers”, “Development of International Bunker Standards – The Next Lap”, “Achieving Customer Satisfaction in the Changing Bunker Market” and “Latest Developments in Major Bunkering Ports”. The keynote addresses will be delivered by Mr Peter Healey, Global Director, ExxonMobil Marine Fuels and Mr Ji Hai Sheng, President, Cosco Holdings (Singapore) Pte Ltd, People’s Republic of China on 26 and 27 Sep 02 respectively. Mr Healey will be speaking on “World Supply and Demand Outlook for Fuel Oil”. Mr Ji will be addressing the topic on “Future Prospects in Liner Shipping”. Other interesting issues to be discussed at SIBCON 02 include bunker delivery and the ways to satisfy customers’ requirements, in particular, a focus on the need to transform the bunkering industry from that of a supply-led to a customer-focused industry and how this could be achieved. Another topic which is expected to stir interest would be "Quality of Bunker Products - Going Beyond 8217". It will examine the adequacy of ISO 8217, an international standard specifying the requirements for petroleum fuels for use in marine diesel engines and boilers. It will also throw light on whether there would be a need for a standard beyond ISO 8217 and the chief concerns. Additionally, SIBCON 2002 will be featuring some of the top bunker markets in the world including that of Rotterdam and Fujairah. These bunker market overviews would provide the bunkering community with a deeper understanding of the development and growth of the bunker industry internationally. Organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), SIBCON is a major platform for international shipping and bunkering experts to come together to identify, address and discuss key issues facing the industry. SIBCON continues to draw great interest and participation from an international audience. To date, the Conference has attracted more than 400 participants from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, UK, USA and Vietnam. In conjunction with SIBCON 02, the MPA and ExxonMobil will be organising a joint seaward Oil Spill Exercise (JOSE) on 28 Sep 02. SIBCON delegates would be invited to participate as observers. Through the organisation of major international port and maritime-related conferences such as SIBCON, the MPA aims to further raise Singapore’s profile as a world-class port and a leading international maritime centre (IMC).