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INSIGHTS

Global Bunkers, 2020 and Developing Market Trends

Alok Sharma, Head of Global Sales at Glencore’s Inatech, provides an in-depth look at what’s coming next for one of the maritime industry’s most interesting and important sectors.

hen it comes to bunkers, the OW crisis is still fresh will, after all, be responsible for non-compliance and paying in everyone’s mind, Environmental Control Areas any fnes. In coming to a decision about whether to implement

W(ECA) are very much in place and the changes the cap in 2020, the IMO hired a consortium of consultants mandated to come for bunkers in 2020 are also closer than led by CE Delft. Their report concluded that there would be one would think. From Alok Sharma’s chair as head of Global enough distillates produced by 2020 to meet the increased

Sales at Inatech, a Glencore Company, the consequences of marine demand. However, since that announcement, refners the frst event, and the prospects of change emanating from and suppliers have played a ‘wait and see’ game to see what the latter are both issues that he wrestles with on a daily basis. strategy operators are taking before committing to production

A Master Mariner with worldwide sailing experience, Alok and making supplies available.

has worked in Marine, Logistics and Express segments both With so many operators unprepared or undecided about what as a Senior Consultant and a Director. Prior to joining Inat- their fuel strategy is for 2020, I can see only one outcome: ech in 2012, he worked as Head of Commercial Transforma- shortages in supply in some regions and ports and prices for tion for Royal Mail and before that, Head of Sales, EMEA for distillates in those areas soaring. In such a scenario, Inatech’s

Quantum, a Marine ERP solutions and consultancy provider. products can help both operators and suppliers. Even in situa-

And, after coming ashore, he served as a Regional Manager of tions where the oil price is high,

Commercial Operations for the CSAV Group in Germany and Shiptech enables operators to

Hong Kong. He studied for and received his Nautical Sciences go out to the market and degree at South Tyneside University and graduated from Lon- get quotes from dif- don Business School MBA program. ferent suppliers,

Inatech provides cloud Energy Trading and Risk Manage- helps monitor ment (ETRM) and fuel management systems to the shipping, supplier bunkering and oil trading industry. A rapidly growing com- qual- pany, its heritage is in shipping and bunkering but, following its acquisition by Glencore, that focus has expanded to also provide integrated end-to-end cloud software products to the oil trading industry. Currently, 2,200 deep sea vessels rely on

Shiptech; two of the top fve bunker suppliers are clients; two of the top fve ship operators are clients; and 25 million tonnes of oil per year are managed using Inatech products. In this edition of Maritime Logistics Professional, Alok weighs in on the important issues of the day.

Much of the pressure regarding IMO 2020 is put upon ship owners and not enough on the creation of infrastructure to support that mandate. What’s your take on all that and where does Inatech ft into that equation?

I have to agree. The onus is very much on the operator. They 26 Maritime Logistics Professional July/August 2017 | |