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SIBCON 2020: Evolution to a ‘completely different’ bunkering industry event, says organiser

Sukumar Verma, Managing Director at Informa Connect Singapore, explains how the world’s largest bunkering event will be virtually carried out between 6 to 8 October 2020.
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The 21st edition of Singapore International Bunkering Conference, fondly known as SIBCON by peers in the marine fuels sector, is scheduled to take place between 6 to 8 October 2020 after a recent confirmation by long-time organisers Informa Connect.

This time, the world renowned event will be continued on a virtual platform – a decision made after careful consideration by the SIBCON committee – due to its sheer importance for the marine fuels industry despite the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“SIBCON is an enabler. We are, collectively, facing unprecedented times due to COVID and challenging market conditions,” Sukumar Verma, Managing Director at Informa Connect, Singapore told Manifold Times in an exclusive interview.

“The industry needs guidance, information and collaboration opportunities to move forward as a whole and SIBCON is ideally placed to provide this.”

The Singapore bunkering publication was seeking for more details on how the world’s most respected bunkering event will be carried out; for several (including the author), it is the first time attending a massive virtual event with features such as exhibitions, livestreaming, on-demand content, and more.

“SIBCON 2020 will be the perfect opportunity to embrace innovation, and the new normal for conferences. We want to open up the thinking associated with attending such events and show the marine fuels industry new possibilities available with the virtual format,” notes Verma.

“The ‘new’ SIBCON will be completely different to the point that it cannot be compared to the earlier physical format. We are now offering an online marketplace, which is also a content and engagement solution.

“With it comes unique advantages of attracting a new profile of people from around the world who may not have made it to the physical event, if we proceeded with it, for the reasons of travel safety, time and cost.”

He noted SIBCON 2020 will be accessible within a web browser through an event platform called Swapcard.

“Swapcard is an integrated platform that will host the virtual conference, virtual exhibition and virtual networking components for SIBCON this year,” he explains.

The program is an intuitive and easy to navigate platform and offers delegates the ability to customise the event to their needs; such as by tracking the participant list, visiting virtual exhibitions, prioritising networking, organising one-on-one meetings, and more.

“All registered participants will receive joining instructions, and we will have onboarding sessions for anyone who needs it,” adds Verma.

In addition, Informa Connect will conduct a more detailed education process for sponsors and exhibitors to help the audience maximise possibilities of the virtual platform for networking, data gathering, and business opportunities.

“The virtual environment offers scale in networking, uses AI to do match making and suggest meetings, and helps in focused lead generation. Further, every meeting held virtually is akin to exchanging a business card, and the person details can be used for further follow up,” he says.

“Brand engagement in a virtual event can be captured by monitoring who attends which session, who downloads a whitepaper, who visits a virtual booth, etc and all these details are fed back to sponsors and exhibitors for follow up and data gathering.

“Having said the above, it will help if the sponsors and exhibitors are also proactive such as by ensuring their team profiles are updated, run polls and quizzes to attract attention, offer prizes, actively source meetings, etc.”

To date, SIBCON is seeing strong support from industry for the virtual format.

“Simply put, SIBCON 2020 offers premium content plus the world’s largest bunker marketplace. All without an air ticket and hotel fees, and in the comfort of your own office/home,” concludes Verma.

“The majority of our speakers are rarely found on other bunker event line ups, and what they say can only be found in this biennial conference. The sheer scale of the event creates a marketplace enabling business transactions as well, now on a global scale.

“This SIBCON is special, and offers an opportunity for thought leaders of the bunkering industry to capitalise on as we head towards digitisation and towards a ‘new’ norm.”

Related: Singapore: SIBCON 2020 bunkering event to be hosted virtually

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 6 August, 2020

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Legal

Singapore: Bunker Partner succeeds in High Court bid to wind up Victory Shipping

Estonia-based marine fuels and commodities trading company Bunker Partner filed a winding up application against Victory Shipping on 13 April.

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Singapore: Estonian firm Bunker Partner files bid to wind up of Victory Shipping

The High Court of Singapore granted a winding up order against Victory Shipping Pte Ltd on 12 June, according to a Thursday (25 June) notice on the Government Gazette. 

The winding up application was filed by Estonia-based marine fuels and commodities trading company Bunker Partner on 13 April.

Victory Shipping, with representations in Malaysia, India and the U.A.E., operates dry bulk shipping contracts around the globe with voyages performed mainly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

The winding up order also included the following name and address of a liquidator:

Mr Farooq Ahmad Mann
C/o M/s Mann & Associates PAC
3 Shenton Way #03-06C
Shenton House
Singapore 068805

The notice noted that all creditors of the Victory Shipping should file their proof of debt with the liquidator who will be administering all the affairs of the company. 

Manifold Times previously reported a virtual hearing between Victory Shipping and Integr8 Fuels Pte Ltd, organised by the High Court of the Republic of Singapore.

The event was to set aside a statutory demand served on 3 October 2025 by Integr8 Fuels lawyers under Section 125(2)(c) and Section 10 of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (IRDA) against Victory Shipping, according to court documents obtained by the bunkering publication.

Integr8 Fuels provides bunker trading and brokerage services to shipowners and operators that enables them to optimise fuel procurement.

Related: Singapore: Court to hear Bunker Partner’s winding-up bid against Victory Shipping on 12 June
Related: Singapore: Estonian firm Bunker Partner files bid to wind up Victory Shipping
Related: Singapore: Victory Shipping aiming to set aside bankruptcy court process from Integr8 Fuels

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 26 June, 2026

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FuelEU

Hafnia Pools surpasses 170 vessels, achieves FuelEU Maritime compliance

In announcing the company’s Q1 2026 financial results, it said five vessels joined Hafnia Pools during the first quarter of the year, bringing the total number of Pool Partners to 24 across segments.
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Hafnia Pools surpasses 170 vessels, achieves FuelEU Maritime compliance

Singapore-headquartered tanker operator Hafnia on Wednesday (24 June) the company closed Q1 2026 with more than 170 vessels trading across its pool platform.

In announcing the company’s Q1 2026 financial results, it said five vessels joined Hafnia Pools during the first quarter of the year, bringing the total number of Pool Partners to 24 across segments.

Since November 2025, vessels entering the Pools have had an average age of six years or younger, further strengthening the competitiveness and earnings capability of the platform. 

This continued inflow of modern tonnage supports Hafnia’s focus on maintaining an efficient and attractive fleet profile, while enhancing the long-term value proposition for Pool Partners.

In Hafnia’s MR Pool, six owners now each have three or more vessels committed.

During Q1 2026, Hafnia Pools successfully met the EU’s FuelEU Maritime requirements for 2025. Across the Pool, 108 vessels collectively exceeded the emissions limits; however, by working together under a “pooling” system, this was balanced out. By using cleaner vessels, biofuel, and purchased emissions credits, the Pools avoided penalties and achieved meaningful cost savings for partners.

This outcome reflects strong collaboration across Hafnia’s commercial, operational, and compliance teams, as well as constructive engagement with all Document of Compliance holders as regulations such as FuelEU come into full force.

In June 2026, Hafnia Pools further strengthened Partner engagement and alignment through its bi-annual Pool Board meeting, taking place during Posidonia in Greece.

Peter Kolding, VP Chartering Regional Trades & Pool Management, said: “As we move further into 2026, our focus remains on delivering consistent commercial results, strengthening the value proposition for all Pool Partners, and continuing to build on the close cooperation between our Chartering and Operations teams that underpins the success of the Hafnia Pools.

“I am encouraged to see that our commercial performance and efforts in staying close to our partners are paying off as we enjoy growing support from many of those same partners. It indicates that we are on the right path and energizes us to continue doing everything we can to improve even further.”

 

Photo credit: Hafnia
Published: 26 June, 2026

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Digital platform

VPS debuts VeriSphere Webshop, enhancing digital access to marine fuel solutions

Key addition is the MySurveys application, designed to support bunker quantity survey processes by providing detailed insights into quantity losses, density variations, and bunkering performance.
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June 26, 2026

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VPS debuts VeriSphere Webshop, enhancing digital access to marine fuel solutions

Marine fuels testing company VPS on Thursday (25 June) announced the launch of its VeriSphere Webshop, a major step forward in the evolution of its digital platform and customer experience.

The new webshop provides customers with direct, self-service access to a growing portfolio of VPS products and services, including digital applications, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and sampling equipment; enabling faster, more flexible engagement with VPS’s global offerings.

The VeriSphere Webshop has been designed to simplify how shipowners, operators, and stakeholders across the marine fuel value chain, access critical tools and data. Through a streamlined interface, users can:

  • Browse and subscribe to VPS digital applications
  • Purchase services and products directly online
  • Discover complementary solutions tailored to their operational needs from VPS as well as its ecosystem partners

Alongside the launch of the webshop module, VPS continues to expand the capabilities of its VeriSphere platform, introducing new applications and enhancing existing solutions to deliver deeper operational insights.

A key addition is the MySurveys application, designed to support bunker quantity survey processes by providing detailed insights into quantity losses, density variations, and bunkering performance. This capability represents an important step in the digitalisation of traditionally manual survey processes, enabling greater transparency and benchmarking across operations.

Further enhancements across the platform reinforce VPS’s commitment to delivering actionable, data-driven insights across fuel quality, equipment performance, and operational risk management.

With continuous improvements to applications such as PortStats and the broader VeriSphere suite, VPS is enabling customers to move beyond static reporting toward pro-active operational intelligence.

By combining its extensive global fuel quality database with advanced analytics and digital delivery, VPS aims to empowere its customers to identify risks early, optimise fuel performance, simplify compliance and improve operational efficiency.

Dr. Malcolm Cooper, CEO at VPS, said: “The launch of the VeriSphere Webshop marks an important milestone in our digital journey.

“We are making it easier than ever for our customers to access the data, insights, and tools they need, when they need them. As the maritime industry continues to evolve, our focus is on delivering scalable, digital solutions that drive better decision-making, improve operational performance of vessels, prevent downtime and support the transition towards more sustainable maritime operations.”

VPS added that the VeriSphere Platform will continue to evolve with an expanding portfolio of products, services, and ecosystem partnerships.

Related: VPS unveils digital bunker fuel and emissions platform Verisphere

 

Photo credit: VPS
Published: 26 June, 2026

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