WELCOME REMARKS
BY CAPT M SEGAR, ASSISTANT CHIEF EXECUTIVE (OPERATIONS),
IBIA ASIA GALA DINNER AT RAFFLES HOTEL ON 21 APRIL 1800hrs

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Evening.

I am pleased to be here at the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) Asia Gala dinner held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week organised by MPA. I am pleased to see the industry gathered here for a time of networking and exchange of views. 

1.     2015 was a challenging year for the maritime industry. However, I am pleased to note that the bunker industry in Singapore has proven to be resilient and Singapore has maintained her position as the leading bunkering port. At a time of economic uncertainty, 45.2 million tonnes in total bunker sales was delivered in 2015, an all-time record high. Bunker sales also achieved 11.8 million tonnes in Q1 2016, an 11% increase year-on-year. This achievement is possible because of your strong support and efforts taken to move the industry forward. Thank you, and I believe we can all look forward to an even better performance for 2016. 

2.     Through IBIA Asia, IBIA has been actively involved in various bunkering initiatives in Singapore. IBIA’s participation in the work of the Technical Committee for Bunkering, under the purview of SPRING Singapore, has contributed to the bunkering standards and development work in Singapore. These include the review of the SS 600, SS 524 and most recently, the development of the Technical Reference for Mass Flow Meter Bunkering. 

3.     IBIA has provided numerous platforms for MPA to share our plans for the Mass Flow Meter. As we move towards the adoption of Mass Flow Meter Bunkering, I look forward to IBIA’s support for MPA’s bunker initiatives in the future.  

4.     With more than 600 members from 66 countries, IBIA plays a pivotal role acting as a bridge between suppliers and end users of marine fuels. I am confident that IBIA and IBIA Asia will continue to provide a constructive voice representing both bunker suppliers and bunker buyers. MPA will continue to work with IBIA to promote and develop the interests of Singapore’s bunker industry. 

5.     The bunkering industry plays an important role in entrenching Singapore’s status as a global hub port. Working in close collaboration with our industry partners, MPA is committed to continue raising our bunkering standards to safeguard Singapore’s position as a premier bunkering port of choice.

6.     I am pleased to share that we now have 73 bunker tankers approved for mass flow meter delivery for marine fuel oil and we are seeing close to 1 million metric tonnes of bunkers being delivered via MPA-approved mass flow meters every month. We have also started work on Mass Flow Metering for marine gas oil. So far, we have seen encouraging results from the test-bedding project. Moving forward, to create a level-playing field and to harmonise procedures, MPA will work towards implementing MFM for marine gas oil deliveries. This could come as early as 2017. 

7.     MPA will also continue to focus our efforts to increase productivity and adoption of enabling technologies in the bunkering industry. We are currently working towards test-bedding an electronic bunker delivery note (E-BDN) mobile application which will allow real-time transfer of bunkering information. We have received positive feedback from the industry and will commence field-testing in the second half of this year. We welcome any industry feedback and look forward to your participation in our test-bedding programme. 

8.     The bunkering industry in Singapore has grown significantly over the years and I am confident that with the various stakeholders working together, the industry will continue to thrive and grow in the years to come. The perennial challenge for us will always be to remain competitive as we lead and shape the bunkering industry together.

9.     To conclude, I would like to congratulate the members of the organising committee of IBIA Asia for successfully putting together this evening’s gala dinner. I would also like to thank IBIA once again for inviting MPA to join you this evening.  

10.    I wish all of you an enjoyable evening ahead. Bon appetite! 

Thank you.