Managing Director, Ocean Opt & Head of Fleet Performance Centre, BSM
Anil Jacob is the Managing Director of Ocean Opt, a leading emissions management solutions provider within the Schulte Group, supporting compliance with the EU Emissions Trading System, FuelEU Maritime regulation, and fleet performance optimization for over 700 vessels worldwide. He also serves as the Head of the Fleet Performance Centre at Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), where he drives initiatives in decarbonization, digital transformation, and operational excellence across the fleet.
A Professional Class 1 Chief Engineer, Anil has more than 20 years of experience in the maritime industry, specializing in oil tankers and ship management. Before joining BSM in 2021, he was Vessel Performance Manager at Maersk Tankers, leading projects to improve fuel efficiency and sustainability, and Senior Engineering Superintendent at Bahri Ship Management in Dubai, managing VLCC operations.
Throughout his career, he has developed deep expertise in:
Anil’s leadership at Ocean Opt and BSM focuses on helping shipowners and operators navigate the challenges of regulatory compliance and environmental performance, delivering solutions that balance operational efficiency with sustainability.
His work enables fleets to improve fuel consumption, reduce emissions, and adopt data-driven decision-making tools, supporting the maritime industry’s transition to a low-carbon future
CEO, TASNEEF
Eng. Waleed Altamimi is the Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Classification Society (TASNEEF) and a highly respected personality in the maritime, classification, and engineering sectors, with over three decades of industry experience.
He began his professional journey in 1991 as a Naval Architect with the UAE Navy, establishing a strong technical foundation in ship design and maritime engineering. He later joined Abu Dhabi Ship Building as Technical Manager before moving to Abu Dhabi Ports Company, where he held senior leadership roles including Vice President – Project Development and Vice President – Asset Management, contributing to the development and management of complex maritime and infrastructure assets.
Eng. Altamimi subsequently joined TASNEEF Maritime, the flagship maritime subsidiary of TASNEEF, as General Manager and later assumed the role of CEO of Emirates Classification Society (TASNEEF). His leadership is defined by a strong focus on strategic growth, technical excellence, governance
Dy. Country Chief Executive, Bureau Veritas
Tansel Culcu is the Deputy Country Chief Executive at Bureau Veritas UAE, one of the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification organizations with a strong presence in the maritime, shipping, energy and industrial sectors. In his role, Tansel helps drive strategic operations, sustainability initiatives and technical excellence across Bureau Veritas’ services in the UAE and wider Gulf region.
With decades of industry experience, he has been actively involved in advancing maritime safety, regulatory compliance and innovative solutions that support both traditional and emerging energy sectors. He regularly represents Bureau Veritas at high-level industry events and partnerships, including leading strategic collaborations on hydrogen energy certification and environmentally responsible maritime technologies.
Tansel’s background includes extensive experience in marine operations, quality assurance and technical leadership within classification and certification services, contributing to industry standards and sustainable practices in the region’s shipping and offshore ecosystem.
PhD, P.Eng, Founder CEO, Soshianest
Dr. Payman Eslami is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Soshianest, a Canada-based technology company pioneering AI-driven solutions for the maritime, logistics and industrial sectors. With nearly 30 years of experience in engineering, data science and maritime systems, Dr. Eslami blends deep domain expertise with cutting-edge innovation to help organizations make smarter, data-driven decisions.
He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering with research focused on artificial intelligence, deep learning and genetic algorithms for complex market modeling — work that laid the foundation for Soshianest’s predictive intelligence platform. His professional background includes senior engineering roles, including serving as Chief Engineer on large-scale newbuild projects, where he applied advanced modelling and analytical techniques to optimize performance and reduce risk.
Sustainability Director , NMDC Group
Leading the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles across NMDC Group’s operations to drive sustainable growth and long-term value creation. focusing on decarbonization, environmental stewardship, and stakeholder engagement.
Founder & Director of Navguide Solutions
Capt. Debashis Basu, Founder & Director of Navguide Solutions, a Singapore-based company working with vessel owners to improve performance in SIRE 2.0, RightShip, and PSC inspections. A former VLCC Master, he is a recognised Maritime Competence Expert and keynote speaker, with speeches at the IMO and leading forums like INTERTANKO, BIMCO and the CMMI. Creator of Guide2Inspections, a unique pocket mentor for every seafarer.
Author of published books and research papers on modern maritime training, and recipient of the CMMI Founders’ Innovation Award 2025 for raising mentoring and inspection standards at sea.
Managing Director
Columbia Group
Xanthos Kyriacou, is a Regional Managing Director at the Columbia Group. With 24 years of experience within the company, Xanthos brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. Originally from Cyprus, he honed his skills after serving in the army and pursuing higher education outside Cyprus.
Xanthos holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the City University of New York, and an MSc in International Shipping from the University of Plymouth in the UK. He is also a respected Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
His core responsibilities include rolling out the Columbia Group strategy and managing execution in various jurisdictions.
Known for his versatility, strong stakeholder relationships, and unwavering belief in the Columbia Group's impact on maritime stakeholders, Xanthos continues to serve the business with determination and perseverance.
Director, Fleet Performance and Engineering
Bahri Ship Management
Jaideep Vohra began his sailing career as a Junior Engineer on board tankers and OBO vessels, having completed his Marine Engineering at DMET/MERI. He stepped ashore after gaining valuable technical expertise over his 15-year sailing career, the last five of which were as a Chief Engineer with Maersk Tankers. In 2008, he joined Mideast as a Technical Superintendent, responsible for VLCC operations. His exceptional performance led to his appointment as Assistant Fleet Manager in 2014, overseeing VLCCs, RORO vessels, and Bulk Carriers. Jaideep then became Fleet Manager in 2019, managing a mixed fleet of Product Tankers, RORO vessels, and Bulk Carriers. In 2021, he moved over to the Fleet Performance Department, overseeing the vessels’ digitalization journey with a focus on monitoring and optimizing the fleet’s performance. He currently holds the position of the Director, Fleet Performance and Engineering.
Vice President - Marine & Offshore Middle East & Africa, ABS
Capt. Dheeraj Sharma is the Vice President of ABS, for the Middle East and Africa and is based in Dubai.
Dheeraj joined ABS in early 2022. Prior to this, Dheeraj spent almost a decade at the United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC) as their General Manger/Owners Representative at their head office in Dubai overseeing the daily running of the 26 tankers and office teams in Singapore, Mumbai & Hongkong. Before coming ashore, he sailed for 17 years with NOL Singapore, Kuwait Oil Tankers (KOTC) and World-Wide Shipping as Master on Shell & BP-chartered vessels.
Dheeraj is qualified Master Mariner from the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency, holds an MBA in Oil and Gas Management and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London. Having worked for shipowners, managers and oil majors in marine operations, safety, commercial and new building departments, Dheeraj brings a wealth of commercial shipping experience and an owner's perspective with him.
Managing Director, Aries Energy
Gireesh M Menon is the Managing Director of Aries Group of companies. Headquartered in Sharjah, the company established in 1998, now operates in 29 countries around the world. With interests in diversified fields like oil & gas, Shipping, event management, 3D animation, studios, theatres and film production, the group now has 76 companies in its portfolio. Mr. Menon is a Naval Architect by profession and has a degree in Naval Architecture from Cochin university, Masters in marine technology from Newcastle university, and also is an MBA Degree holder.
He has been at the forefront of many innovative designs, consultancy works and organizing events undertaken throughout his 22-year tenure with Aries Group. Leading a team of over 500+ engineering personnel, he has been instrumental in establishing Aries marine as one of the leading Engineering and design consultancy firm in the world, with expertise in a wide range of activities including Offshore Engineering, Naval Architecture, Surveys, Auditing, 3D scanning, Drone inspections, Subsea Engineering and much more. Under his leadership, the company has been involved in new build designs, retrofits and conversions of a wide variety of ship types including tankers, Cable ships, LNG ships, Rigs, offshore platforms and many more.
MD Middle East and SW Asia/Director Shipping Analytics at NAVTOR
Amitabh Sankranti is a Master Mariner and MBA from the Indian School of Business. He is currently working as Managing Director for Navtor UAE and India office and doubles up as Global Director for the Shipping Analytics Business Unit at Navtor. Prior to Navtor, Amitabh founded the company Ingenium Marine, which was acquired by Navtor in 2022. He has worked in various ship management functions as a Fleet Director and Quality Assurance Director at Schulte Group and Scorpio Tankers respectively.
He did his cadet ship in Training Ship Rajendra and has been actively working in the shipping industry since 1993.
CEO, Noatum CSM
Julian Panter is currently the CEO of the Noatum CSM, which is a joint venture between AD Ports & Columbia Group. The joint venture, based in the UAE, has been established to provide world class ship management services to the maritime industry. Prior to his current role, Mr. Panter was the CEO of SmartSea, another joint venture with SITA, who are the leading aviation technology company in the world. SmartSea was established to leverage aviation technologies for the maritime industry. He has also served as a strategic advisor to Saudi Aramco, contributing to a nationwide Government sponsored maritime expansion strategy aligned with Vision 2030, and as Vice President at International Maritime Industries, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco, Lamprell, Bahri, and Hyundai Heavy Industries. Mr. Panter holds an MBA from The University of Manchester and a master's degree (MA) in human resources management from Middlesex University. He is also a proud full Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.
Vice President, Bahri Ship Management
Abdullah Alyami is a Saudi national expert with over 20 years of experience in the maritime and oil and gas industries. He completed his Marine Engineering study at Southampton University in the United Kingdom. He began his career as a cadet with Vela International Marine in 1999 whilst successfully completing the Saudi Aramco CDPNE program. He steadily climbed the ranks to become a Chief Marine Engineer on very large crude oil tankers. Currently, he is positioned as the Vice President of Fleet Management at BAHRI.
Abdullah is known for his strong leadership skills, organizational abilities, and extensive experience in marine engineering. He excels in managing day-to-day ship operations with a focus on safety and efficiency. His specialized knowledge in marine engineering encompasses maintenance, repair, and cost-effective operations.
Throughout his career, Abdullah has held various positions of increasing responsibility. He started as Fourth Marine Engineer and transcended to be Chief Marine Engineer. With consistent dedication, he was promoted to Senior Superintendent in 2018, followed by Senior Manager and then Director of Fleet Management in 2021. He continued to advance as he now serves as Vice President for Fleet Management.
Abdullah’s unwavering dedication, expertise, and relentless pursuit of excellence position him as a highly asset in the marine industry.
Chief Maritime Strategy & Innovation Officer
Lila Global, Dubai
Dr Abdul Rahim is the Chief Maritime Strategy & Innovation Officer, at Lila Global, Dubai. Prior to this, he was a Corporate Officer, and the Managing Director, Europe and Africa, of ClassNK based in London. He has been with ClassNK for more than 3 decades, serving long stints in various roles in Tokyo, Singapore, London, Mumbai and Dubai. He also held the position of Chairman of NAPA Group, Finland.
Dr Rahim has a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and Ship Building from Cochin University of Science and Technology, and Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Ship Structures from Hiroshima University. He has published more than 120 technical papers. Some of his accolades include the Joint RINA SNAME IMarEST Institute Branch Award, Singapore (2004), IMarEST Stanley Grey Medal, London (2005), Maritime Personality of the Year Award, Dubai (2017), Maritime Professional Excellence Award, London (2023).
