IFFW welcomes IBIA as a Supporting Association
We're pleased to welcome IBIA, The International Bunker Industry Association, as an official Association Partner of IFFW. IBIA is the voice of the global bunker industry, representing bunker suppliers, traders, ship owners and operators, surveyors, port authorities and marine consultants across more than 70 countries, with its Asia regional office based in Singapore. The association holds consultative status at the IMO and sits at the centre of the industry's response to incoming GHG intensity rules for marine fuel, including the proposed well-to-wake GFI standard. IBIA will join IFFW's pre-event briefing in London on 19 October 2026, and we look forward to their input as marine fuel supply chains adapt to the next phase of shipping's fuel diversification.
In addition to a Global Board, to ensure the governance of the association ensures global representation, IBIA has five regional Boards representing: Europe, North & Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Asia. For Asia, the regional office and secretariat is located in Singapore.
IBIA’s technical expertise primarily relates to the marine fuels, that is the supply, storage and transport of marine fuels both onshore and from ship-to-ship, including the services related to those activities, for example, testing and surveying. This technical expertise extends to the use of emissions abatement technologies on board ships such as Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems and the development of Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage.
IBIA’s diverse membership includes ship owners/operators, bunker suppliers, traders, brokers, barging companies, storage companies, surveyors, port authorities, credit reporting companies, lawyers, P&I clubs, equipment manufacturers, shipping journalists and marine consultants.
IBIA was granted consultative status with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2005. This privilege enables the views of IBIA’s members to be represented at the body responsible for the regulation of international shipping. The ability to provide technical input into the deliberations through the submission of documents and interventions during the meetings is critical to enabling IBIA to fulfil its mission which is as follows:
Promote the common good of the industry
Promote industry, provide education, foster professional conduct and develop standards
Educate, inform and represent The International Bunker Industry & Market place
To raise standards to the benefit of all members
IBIA also hosts specialist working groups focusing on Technical, Future Fuels, Digitalisation, Transparency & Integrity, and Bunker Buyers. These groups comprise IBIA Board Members, Secretariat, and Members, working collaboratively. They play a key role in supporting the preparation of documents submitted by IBIA to the IMO or reviewing submissions offered to IBIA by other IMO members for co-sponsorship.
The reduction of GHG emissions from international shipping is one of, if not the most, important issues that has significant implications for international shipping and beyond. And IBIA’s membership will be at the fulcrum of the future energy transition for shipping.
One of the key issues being considered by IMO are significant changes to the governance of the marine energy value chain. The possible introduction of a global standard for GHG intensity of marine fuel (GFI), with that intensity being calculated on a 'well-to-wake' (WtW) basis, will bring the most significant change to the global supply of marine fuel since coal was replaced by oil.
For those in the bunkering industry that sit between the fuel producers/suppliers and the ships, this will bring significant new operational and commercial risks that if not managed effectively could result in major compliance failures along the chain of custody that end up in the courts.
In this regard, currently the calculation of total emissions for fuel delivered to the ship includes accounting for those emissions specifically associated with bunkering. As a minimum, this needs to be further qualified with a note to indicate that the emissions from bunkering could be determined using a “default emission value”. Without such an amendment the complexity of disaggregating the emissions per stem so that the required emissions information can be provided to the ship so that it can then calculate the required GFI cannot be understated.
IBIA's Edmund Hughes will be participating in the International Future Fuels Week pre-event briefing being held in London on 19 October 2026. Sign up your exclusive pass here.
