2025: An inflexion point for the bunker industry?

The Middle East Bunkering Convention returns to Dubai in February for more meaningful and informative debate and engagement on the ‘health’ of the marine fuels sector – from both a global and a regional perspective.

In 2025, MEBC marks its 10th anniversary and this year’s conference offers an opportunity to reflect on the challenges, opportunities and trends experienced by the bunker sector over the last decade. More importantly, this important and always dynamic gathering of marine fuel professionals will encourage discussion on what lies ahead for the industry – in the near and mid-term.

A decade on from the first MEBC, the commercial environment for the bunker sector is much more complicated and difficult to negotiate. Looking out to the next 10 years, the picture becomes even more challenging, with a highly charged geopolitical situation and the introduction of challenging environmental regulations which will put counterparty relationships under the spotlight and place a heavy financial burden on the shipping sector.

Added to this, the shipping, marine fuel and port sectors are facing difficult decisions over decarbonisation strategies and there are so many questions to be answered over what the bunker supply infrastructure for conventional and new marine fuels will look like in the coming years. The increasingly significant role of AI and digitalisation in shipping must also be added to the mix.

The tenth edition of MEBC will offer a unique platform for the bunker sector to reflect on the ‘here and now’ of its business and to discuss how it must evolve to be able to address the challenges, and grasp the opportunities, that make up its future.

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A special Dubai edition of the world-renowned Oxford Bunker Course will be running alongside the Middle East Bunkering Convention in Dubai. The four-day intensive programme is designed for newcomers to the business but also for those who may already have some experience in shipping and marine fuels. The course content has been developed over many years to give delegates a thorough grounding in all the elements of the bunker industry, to understand the needs of suppliers, sellers, buyers and users of bunkers, together with an insight of the changes and challenges of the next five to ten years.

All course students will be invited to join the networking functions of the Middle East Bunkering Convention that will take place at the same venue during the week.

THE OXFORD BUNKER COURSE

 

Programme details are subject to change as new speakers are confirmed. If you feel you could make a significant contribution to the programme and wish to present on any of the subjects listed, please email Lesley Bankes-Hughes lesley@ship.energy to discuss further.