World Bunkering > News > Autumn 2010 > Sibcon - New venue, new challenges

Taking place every two years, Sibcon always features prominently in bunker industry calendars, and for good reason. Sibcon is the biggest bunker gathering in the world’s biggest bunker port. Sibcon really can’t go wrong, and it never does.

This year sees the 16th Sibcon but this time Singapore will not only be showing off its bunkering expertise but also its latest venue – Resorts World Sentosa.

Billed as Asia’s ultimate destination, it includes the region’s first Hollywood movie theme park, Universal Studios Singapore, and also incorporates the Resorts World Casino. Nobody who hasn’t been to Sentosa, or even the Harbourfront (formerly the World Trade Centre), for a while will fail to be impressed by just how much this piece of Singapore has changed.

The publicity material says that the casino “with its blend of elegant interiors, captivating entertainment, sumptuous dining options and warm hospitality, provides you with the chance to play in style”.

Just how many Sibcon delegates will be playing the casino in style, who knows? What is a good bet though is that yet again the Sibcon conference and exhibition will be packed. IBC, which runs the Sibcon conference for the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority, says there were some 1,000 attendees at the 2008 Sibcon event.

As ever, Sibcon has strong official support, demonstrated by a welcome address by guest of honour Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs.

This year’s Sibcon theme is ‘Forging Ahead – A new era for Marine Fuels’. BP Singapore’s president Pek Hak Bin will deliver a keynote address on ‘Global Shifts in Oil Markets’. Dr Kyuho Whang, CEO of Korea’s SK Shipping will present a second address on ‘World Trade and the Shipping Economy’.

The two keynote speeches at this year’s Sibcon will lead on to a new feature, a Visionaries in Shipping Forum where top CEOs from shipowning companies will discuss emerging trade routes, forecast the markets for container, dry bulk and tanker sectors and the implications for marine fuel demand. DNV president Tor Svensen will be moderator and the panel will also include Hanjin Shipping (Terminal Business Unit) executive vice president and chief executive GS Choi and Norden’s managing director, Singapore, Peter Borup. They will discuss the current state of play in different shipping markets, and their response to a changing trade and economic environment.

There are a number of other innovations this year. A Sibcon Industry Think Tank has been put together specifically to consider the challenges posed by new fuel specifications and a collaborative industry response to ISO 8217.

In a Marine Fuels Market Watch Sibcon session, senior executives of top marine fuel companies will debate demand trends, market opportunities and security of supply.

Singapore has taken a lead role in developing mass flow metering. The last but one session at Sibcon looks at industry experiences in this area, the new Singapore standard, and what more is needed to encourage uptake of new measurement technologies.

Unsurprisingly, emissions control occupies a significant slot in the Sibcon event and the last session at Sibcon takes a look at possible market based measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their commercial and environmental impact on the bunker business.

As in previous years, this year’s Sibcon event will once again feature an oil spill exercise, on Friday 29 October, which will give participants a chance to experience practical issues associated with managing a spill. Golf enthusiasts, however, will face a dilemma as the SIBCON IBIA Golf Challenge 2010 also takes place on Friday morning at Tanah Merah Country Club.

Of course, there is always the possibility that some may find it hard to tear themselves away from the region’s first Hollywood movie theme park, or perhaps even the casino?