Singapore bunker industry stakeholders form new association: ABIS
The Singapore bunker industry has a new group, the Association of Bunker Industry (Singapore) to address the needs of the industry, ABIS said Tuesday.
ABIS said it will work with members mostly, but not limited to, small and medium-sized bunker companies to improve the quality of their business services.
One of its more pressing tasks is training courses for mass flow meter (MFM) bunkering which becomes mandatory in January and, later, training for liquefied natural gas bunkering, ABIS said.
It has formed a focus group to review members’ existing bunker surveying processes to align with the requirements of the new MFM bunkering guidelines, the TR48:2015.
“They will be better prepared and ready to fulfil their essential roles when TR48 becomes mandatory on January 1, next year,” ABIS honorary secretary Kwok Fook Sing said.
The focus group comprise bunker surveyors, bunker suppliers, ship owners, bunker buyers, oil traders and technical experts in fuel testing, legal counsel, and MFM vendors.
Singapore’s national agencies, such as trade and business agency, SPRING, and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, will also be consulted, ABIS said.
ABIS has 29 members from 24 companies in the bunker industry, a similar composition to the focus group.
“The bunker group does not consist of bunker surveyors only…Bunker-related stakeholders came together to start this (group) as we have never had a bunker association registered in Singapore before this,” Kwok said.
“We expect more to sign up once the Association is formally approved by the (Registry of Societies).” ABIS registered with ROS on July 29.
The association’s other mandates include working with national bodies to improve the standards of the industry, developing and delivering training programs to upgrade the professionalism and productivity of its members.