Capt. Rahul Varma is a Master Mariner with over two decades of operational and management experience in the maritime industry. He spent 13 years at sea, including two stints as Captain of oil tankers and later transitioned to working ashore, serving for 12 years as a Designated Person Ashore for foreign going ships. In this role, he oversaw operations, management, and compliance for over 70 vessels. As an onshore maritime professional, Ravi has served as Operations Manager, Head of Ship-Shore Contingency Team, and head of multiple departments, including ISO, vetting, inventory management of hazardous materials, and port management. He has implemented and audited compliance with MARPOL pollution prevention regulations.

An expert in maritime insurance and claims, he assists logistics and shipping companies with contracts, compliance, and representing them before regulatory bodies like the Directorate General of Shipping. He founded Ally Maritime and Legal Services in 2018, a reputed Maritime, Legal, Quality Consultancy. Recently, Ravi was hired by GiZ International Services as a senior non-key expert for a European Union project focused on researching and assessing the status of the Maritime Labour Convention in ASEAN countries. He brings over 20 years of deep maritime operations experience to this regional regulatory research effort.