Registration Opens for In-Person Houston IBIA Convention in November

The last time the IBIA Annual Convention was held in person was in Istanbul in 2019. Image Credit: IBIA

Registration is now open for the first in-person annual convention of bunker industry body IBIA in three years.

IBIA is set to host its 2022 annual convention at the JW Marriot Houston on November 15-17, the organisation said on the event's website. The event will consist of a bunker training course on November 15, followed by a series of keynote speeches, presentations and panel sessions over the following two days.

For the past two years the event has been held online, but with COVID-19 restrictions on travel being eased there is now increasing demand for in-person events again.

"The bunker industry was looking forward to a year of recovery in 2022 as the Western economies started to put COVID-19 behind them and Asia-Pacific looked set to follow before long," IBIA said on the event website.

"But the war in Ukraine has now upended any sense of calm, with the industry now scrambling to move on from using products of Russian origin and cope with the knock-on impacts of the war and ensuing sanctions on various shipping segments.

"Bunker prices around the world are now trading at or near record highs, and the long-discussed issue of the bunker industry's access to credit is starting to become more acute.

"Beyond these immediate concerns, decarbonisation and digitalisation remain the dominant themes for the industry, with both shipping and bunker companies looking to invest in both areas to modernise their operations, cut bills and reduce emissions.

"Join us at the IBIA Annual Convention 2022 in Houston in November for an in-depth look at all of these issues and more."

For more information and to register for the event, click here.