World Bunkering > News > Autumn 2009 > Chairman's Introduction

Chris Fisher

Earlier this year, IBIA secured the unanimous agreement of its members to implement a new constitution by approving a revised Memorandum and Articles of Association. This involved a decision to change from a 25 member Council of Management to an executive structure headed by a board of directors, and was designed to make IBIA more dynamic in terms of responding to the changing commercial environment within which its members operate. Now, just a few months into the new regime, I am pleased to report that the new structure is in place and working extremely well.

Attendance at the meetings has been good, and it is proving to be most beneficial to have a smaller, well-focused board. I would like to extend my thanks to the old council, and especially to immediate past chairman Fritz Fredriksen and to Ian Adams, the new (and, indeed, the first ever) chief executive, who were very instrumental in helping steer through these changes to the IBIA management structure.

It is important to move with the times, and we should not be afraid of change if it helps position IBIA as the undisputed representative body of choice for all suppliers and consumers of marine fuels who put quality and best practice at the heart of their operational ethos. The smaller board will enable us to focus more easily and move more quickly on issues that affect our members. We expect members to benefit from the changes, and it is one of my goals to develop IBIA in such a way that it will actively facilitate the process of discussion at a high level across all sectors on a global basis.

At our most recent board meeting, for example, it was agreed that a number of new working groups would be formed, and some of these are already taking shape. I know that one such group, which will be looking into the pros and cons of in-line blending, would very much welcome the involvement of some buyers. Please contact Anne Chambers if you would like to get involved.

The training and education working group, meanwhile, will look further into the need for industry qualifications and I shall be writing to you all on this subject, following up on last year’s survey. This group will also be tackling updates to our training material, so there is plenty to keep it busy. On a more specific topic, it is disturbing to read recent industry reports about bunker contamination with “waste” material.

Clearly there are a few cases where unusual components have been found in fuels, but we should be careful not to overestimate the frequency and seriousness of these incidents. Bunker fuel testing laboratories are adopting ever-more sophisticated test methods, and more routine screening is taking place. Sometimes these methods show the presence of compounds that we may think are new to bunkers, but it is likely that some have been around, undetected for years and have never caused a problem. Obviously, nobody wants to put ships in potential danger by using fuel with dangerous contamination, but testing companies need to be sure that the advice they give shipowners, especially if they are of the opinion that the fuel is unfit for use, is based on very sound evidence and technical reasoning.

Taking bunkers off a ship is a costly and time-consuming process and buyers and sellers often have to rely on technical and expert advice to help them make decisions. The testing agencies need to come together – perhaps through the technical committees of, for example, CIMAC and the Energy Institute – to agree on test methods and to share their experience on contamination versus real engine problems. There is a lot to share and to learn to the benefit of all in our industry.

Back on the housekeeping front, plans are progressing well for the IBIA convention in Singapore, which will take place at the Rasa Sentosa Hotel beginning on 14 October 2009 – thanks to the efforts of a small working group which has taken on the task of setting an excellent agenda and selecting interesting and informative speakers. Delegates will find we have topical and important issues for discussion which affect all our members. The working group has also made sure that we have time to discuss IBIA matters and to get the all-important feedback from our members which helps us to make the right decisions in the best interests of all of us.

As usual, IBIA training courses will be run and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those members who give their valuable time to deliver these important training programmes. Taking on the full management of our convention has of course kept our secretariat fully occupied, and we are grateful in this regard to Chanette Roughton who has recently joined us as an administrator and whom I am sure you will join me in welcoming to IBIA. She has already been kept very busy.

In closing, may I say that I very much look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Singapore.

Chris Fisher