Forum Moderators

Apo Belokas, Managing Editor, SAFETY4SEA 

Apo is the Founder & CEO of SQE Group (www.sqegroup.com), including SQE MARINE, SQE ACADEMY, SAFETY4SEA and RISK4SEA educated as a Mechanical Engineer (B.Eng & MSc (Eng), MBA) specializing in Energy & Environment. He is a 30 year veteran with roles as Engineering Superintendent, Maritime Safety, Quality & Environmental Expert, Consultant, Trainer and Project Manager and his track record includes a wide range of QHSE projects including 250+ management system projects (ISM/ISPS/ISO 9001-14001-18001/TMSA/MLC/DryBMS), 500 vessel and office audits to various standards, regulatory development and a record of more than 10,000 people trained in a wide variety of QHSE and Shipping related subjects.  He has chaired more than 90 Forums and moderated more than 400 panels in Safety, Green and Smart related issues. Apo is the founder and Managing Editor of SAFETY4SEA that hosts the leading safety4sea.com, (300k visitors monthly) producing monthly magazines & tailored publications (100k p.a. circ. onboard & ashore) & Industry Surveys  delivering more than 15 major forums and awards events across the globe every year.

Speakers [listed in alphabetical order]

Capt. Hakan Baysal, HSEQ Manager, SCOT GEMI ISLETMECILIGI AS

Capt. Hakan Baysal has been working at sea since 2008, progressing from Cadet to Master until September 2023. During this time, he gained comprehensive experience on oil and chemical tanker vessels. In September 2023, he joined the Scot Tanker office team as a Marine Training Superintendent, utilizing his extensive seagoing background to support the company’s training and operational standards. In July 2024, Capt. Hakan Baysal was appointed as HSEQ Manager, where he continue to contribute to the development and implementation of the company’s safety, quality, and environmental strategies across the fleet. Throughout his career onboard vessels, he has participated in over 200 ship-to-ship operations and various port operations involving a wide range of chemical and oil products. His experience spans multiple regions, including the Persian Gulf, theBaltic and Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the USA and Canada, the Caribbean, South America, and the Eastern Pacific.

Capt. Mert Dağgeçen, Chair, Nautical Institute – Türkiye Branch

Capt. Mert Dağgeçen is Founder of Maritime Talent Development Institute and a learning and development expert in the maritime industry with a background as a Master Mariner on chemical and product tankers. Possessing in-depth experience in vetting, SIRE, CDI inspections and TMSA audits, his educational background includes: ITU Maritime Transport and Management Engineering with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused on Shipping and Logistics from Copenhagen Business School. Presently, he is a PhD student at Piri Reis Maritime University studying Human factors, Learning and Development in maritime.

Ozgur Dogan Gunes, General Manager & Representative Türkiye, Columbia Group

Captain Ozgur Dogan Gunes is the General Manager and Representative of Columbia Shipmanagement, with decades of experience in the maritime industry across various countries, including China, Singapore, and Türkiye, and a background as a former Master Mariner. Alongside his maritime leadership, he developed Seabook, a mobile application supporting maritime training, and continued contributing through SeaChief and Sea-IT, delivering diverse support to the maritime industry. He specializes in business engagements, maritime operations, digitalization, and safety, and actively serves the industry as Secretary-General of the Turkish Ocean-going Shipmasters’ Association, as a General Assembly Member of Türk Loydu (IACS member), and as an advisory board member to maritime universities and foundations, representing Türkiye and promoting maritime safety in multicultural environments and business engagement globally.

Arnold B. Javier, President, Magsaysay Maritime Corporation

Arnold B. Javier is the President of the Magsaysay Maritime Corporation (MMC). MMC is one of the biggest maritime human resource companies that specializes in providing comprehensive solutions to meet the crewing requirements of the global shipping and cruise industries. With a strong commitment to excellence, Arnold ensures that MMC continually invests in the training and development of maritime officers and crew members, assuring their clients of having access to global standard training and well-trained professionals in the field. Arnold’s journey in the maritime industry began with years spent as a Deck Officer on chemical and product tankers, providing him with invaluable practical experience at sea. Over the course of his impressive 31-year career, he has held significant responsibilities in manning and crew management, overseeing operations in MMC’s network offices spanning from the Philippines to Indonesia, China, Eastern Europe, and Central and North America. Arnold is an alumnus of the premier maritime academy in the Philippines, graduating from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy’s (PMMA) Class of 1991. He was one of the youngest graduates of his class and received a scholarship from V. Ships Norway A/S. Additionally, he is a commissioned Reserve Naval Officer in the Philippine Navy. His commitment to excellence is reflected in his consistent achievement of being a board placer, ranking among the top ten (10) in various grades of the Marine Deck Officers Licensure Examination. In pursuit of higher education and professional development, Arnold pursued a Master’s degree in Shipping Business and Management from the PMMA Graduate School, further enriching his knowledge and expertise. Beyond his responsibilities within MMC, Arnold B. Javier actively contributes to the maritime industry’s growth and development. He serves as a Trustee of the Filipino Shipowners Association (FSA) and holds the position of Vice Chair and a Board Director for the Magcoop Multipurpose Cooperative, one of the largest cooperatives in the Philippine maritime sector. Arnold’s dedication and leadership in these roles underscore his commitment to advancing the interests of the whole industry.

Capt. Konstantinos G. Karavasilis, Regional Director, Loss Prevention, UK P&I Club

Kostas is a Greek Master Mariner with significant seagoing experience on-board Bulk Carriers and Cruise Ships. Prior to joining Thomas Miller’s Hellas office in December, 2019 he worked as Claims Manager for a local hull insurer, garnering more than 10 years of experience within the marine insurance industry. Kostas is certified by Lloyds Register of Shipping as an ISM and ISPS Internal Auditor. He deals with Loss Prevention related matters and operational enquiries for local Members, and he also conducts crew seminars.

Vlassis Papapanagis, Chief Commercial Officer, Tototheo Global

Vlassis Papapanagis has worked in various positions within sales in technology companies that are pioneers in Analytics, DaaS, and SaaS. He embarked on this journey in the early days of Predictive Analytics & Business Intelligence, and it has been an amazing experience for him to see how major B2B customers across various industries have transformed their businesses by adopting data-driven solutions to make more effective decisions and be better prepared for what is around the corner. More than five years ago, Vlassis started a new venture within the Maritime Sector. Currently, he works for Tototheo Global as Chief Commercial Officer. Tototheo is a leading provider of advanced connectivity and technology solutions aimed at enhancing performance in maritime, land, and air sectors. As a C-level executive, Vlassis’s mission is to navigate and support his team in becoming industry experts and trusted advisors to their customers. Behind the scenes, his main goal is to continuously drive motivation, enable new skill development, and mentor the team in the importance of following a solid sales process that will lead to success. Above all, he believes that having a positive mindset is a powerful means to influence the team and help transform the company’s culture.

Dimitris Psarros, Business Development Manager, RISK4SEA

Dimitris joined SQE Group back in 2012 and now holds the position of Business Development Manager at RISK4SEA, an innovative SaaS platform which aims to provide Port State Control performance transparency to the market. He has more than 10 years of experience within the industry and held various commercial positions and participated in several projects with the aim to assist shipping companies to improve/maintain their safety and quality standards.

Lennart Ripke, Senior Consultant & Commercial Director, Green Jakobsen

Lennart Ripke is an ex-mariner, and he has several years of experience as a deck officer on chemical tankers. After his seafarer career, he joined the maritime learning and development business, where he was heading the office in Germany for a major e-learning provider. Being responsible for the sales there and now in Green-Jakobsen he possesses a profound knowledge of the concerns and demands that exist among the maritime companies. With a passion for the maritime industry and for learning and development, Lennart is not only taking care of sales in Green-Jakobsen, but he is also a valuable subject matter expert involved in the development of solutions and services for our clients.

LEAD SPONSORS

MacGregor

MacGregor is a family of innovators. By offering engineering solutions and services for handling marine cargoes and offshore loads we make the sea more accessible, safe and reliable for those whose livelihood depends on the changing conditions of the sea. To enable that we have a variety of strong product brands and committed experts with a passion for solving challenges – and the power of the sea is sure to provide those.

www.macgregor.com

SQEMARINE

SQE Marine is a leading provider of Safety, Quality and Environmental Solutions providing Consulting, Training and Information products in these areas. We have been successfully providing a product and service range to more than 1,200 clients (based in 75+ countries) over the last 20 years, operating a DNVGL Certified Training Center and a LR ISO 9001 certified management system. Strong enough to provide immediate response and feedback to all client queries and needs, we provide a range of competitively priced services and timeliness for product / service delivery; we provide foolproof products and services to ensure full after sales support for as long as necessary. Last but not least, technical competence is the core of our management system & operations. Our vision is to be a leading world class corporation that provides reliable maritime solutions in the areas of Quality, Health, Safety, Environmental, Crisis, Security, and Risk Management. Our mission, therefore, is to provide real life, effective and efficient maritime solutions range including Consulting, Training and Information provision in order to maximize client benefit and minimize risk.

www.sqemarine.com

SPONSORS

Blue Planet Shipping Ltd

Blue Planet Shipping Ltd (BPS) was established and based at Piraeus since 1996, to manage 8 Dry Bulk Carriers. In 1998, BPS split into two separate companies. BPS retained its root name and Third Millenium Shipping Ltd (TMS) was set up to manage vessels for different owners. BPS managed 7 out of the 8 vessels; (AKMI – ARIS – EVMAR – COSMAR – ALMAVITA – AFROS & ALKIMOS) and the management of the ASTROMAR was undertaken by TMS. In 2002, clients of the company placed an order for 6 New Building Supramax vessels in China, of which 5 were delivered in 2003 and 1 in 2004. The new vessels (APOLLON – APEX – AKMI – EVNIA – NICOLAOS A and AVRA) were registered under Cyprus and Greek Flags. With the company by then managing a total of 14 vessels, it began recruiting different nationalities to man the ships, focusing mainly on Greek, Ukrainian, Burmese and Moroccan crews.

www.blueplanetshipping.gr

Capital-Executive Ship Management Corp.

Capital-Executive Ship Management Corp. (‘Capital-Executive’) currently operates a fleet of 40 vessels including 36 container carriers and 4 modern bulk carriers with a total dwt of 2,915,834 tons and total teu of 180,363 approx. The fleet under management includes vessels of Nasdaq-listed Capital Product Partners L.P. The Capital-Executive team has extensive experience in managing various vessel types and sizes. The Company offers comprehensive services in every aspect of ship management including: safety and technical management, claims & insurance, bunkering, risk assessment, newbuilding design and supervision, IT services, accounting, financial management and other administrative functions, as well as in-house human resources management, such as crewing and personnel training with state-of-the-art technology.

www.capital-executive.gr

Capital Gas Ship Management Corp.

Capital Gas Ship Management Corp. (“Capital Gas”) is a ship management service provider, currently operating a fleet of 14 modern LNG Carriers with a total carrying capacity of approximately 2.44 million cubic meters and a total dwt of 1.14 Tons. Our Team consists of highly skilled personnel with extensive experience in the LNG Sector from initial design and newbuilding supervision to LNGCs operations and technical management. Capital Gas Ship Management is a member of SIGTTO and SGMF.

www.capitalgas.gr

Capital Shipmanagement

Capital Ship Management Corp. (‘Capital’) is a distinguished oceangoing vessel operator, offering comprehensive services in every aspect of ship management, currently operating a fleet of 39 tankers (12 VLCCs, 15 Aframaxes, 11 MR/Handy product tankers and 1 small tanker) with a total dwt of 5.95 million tons approx. Capital has extensive experience in managing various vessel types and sizes including all tanker segments (VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax/LR2, Panamax/LR1, MR/Handy and small tankers), dry bulk segments (Cape, Panamax, Handymax and Handy), as well as OBOs and containers. The excellent performance of Capital Ship Management has been recognized by oil major companies and major traders in the industry. It is one of a few ship management companies to have successfully completed the comprehensive office assessment process of numerous major oil companies and has also established long standing relationships with major traders, liners and operators. The Company offers comprehensive services in every aspect of ship management including: safety and technical management, claims & insurance, bunkering, vetting preparation and attendance, risk assessment, newbuilding design and supervision, IT services, accounting, financial management and other administrative functions, as well as in-house human resources management, such as crewing and personnel training with state-of-the-art technology.

www.capitalship.gr

DORIAL LPG

Dorian LPG is a pure-play LPG shipping company and a leading owner and operator of modern VLGCs. Dorian LPG currently has four modern VLGCs and one pressurized LPG vessel on the water. Dorian LPG has 18 ECO VLGC newbuildings due for delivery in 2014, 2015 and 2016 from HHI and Daewoo Shipping and Marine Engineering Ltd., including the 13 that it acquired from Scorpio Tankers. Dorian LPG has offices in Connecticut, London, and Piraeus.Dorian LPG is incorporated in the Republic of The Marshall Islands.

www.dorianlpg.com

Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited (EASTMED)

EASTMED is a ships management company with head offices in Glyfada (Athens), Greece. Presently the company has under management 78 vessels, employs 200 shore based personnel and a further 3000 seagoing staff. The fleet comprises of 29 tankers, 39 dry bulk carriers and 10 container ships, adding up to a total DWT capacity of 7.2 million tons. Principally both the tankers and the dry cargo vessels are employed on the spot market and occasionally will enter into short period charter agreements on a number of ships of the fleet.

The following overseas companies are employed as exclusive agents of EASTMED:

• Intermar Chartering (UK) Ltd. in London, U.K.: Covers the London chartering market.
• Eastern Mediterranean Manning Agency in Manila, Philippines: Directly selects, trains, and employs Filipino Masters, Officers, and Crew exclusively for the vessels under EASTMED’s management.
• EASTMED was granted by Lloyd’s the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification in December 2010 and is in the process of being certified with ISO 50001 within 2016. EASTMED is presently a member of BIMCO, INTERTANKO and INTERCARGO, thus joining forces for improved standards in the industry. EASTMED voluntarily participates to AMVER reporting system, operated by the US Coast Guard for promoting safety of life and property at sea. Managed vessels are honored with AMVER awards on an annual basis.

www.eastmed.gr

Latsco Marine Management Inc.

Latsco Marine Management Inc. a subsidiary company of Latsco Shipping Ltd., has been established 1st January 2019 and is currently located at Kifisia. Latsco’s history begins over half a century ago as part of Latsis Companies’ Group. Latsco provides operational, technical, financial and ship building services, focusing on fundamental principles of quality, integrity, safety, health, environmental protection and energy efficiency, with established programmes for performance excellence, profitability and growth of management of clean energy transportation vessels. Latsco pursues all entrepreneurial ventures with ethics, integrity, consistency to incident-free operations and ultimate aspiration of providing excellent services through long-lasting customer relationships. Currently, LMM Inc. manages a fleet of 27 vessels (MRs, LR2, VLGCs), while another 2 vessels shall be delivered up to 2020.

www.latsco.com

RISK4SEA

RISK4SEA is an online platform to provide PSC performance transparency to the market by analysing PSC Data providing KPI, Demographics, Detentions Analytics, reports, Benchmarks and Insights for 23 fleet segments in an advanced analysis of the last 5 years to assist stakeholders to:

-PREPARE for forthcoming PSC inspections
-ANALYSE PSC performance to identify strengths & weaknesses
-BENCHMARK fleets against competition and the industry

www.risk4sea.com

SEAFiT

SEAFiT, powered by SAFETY4SEA, is a pioneering mental health program providing comprehensive guidance and a holistic approach to maritime stakeholders to evaluate the mental health state of both their shore and sea staff and raise awareness over wellbeing issues.

seafit.safety4sea.com

Sun Enterprises Ltd

With roots tracing back to 1878, the Group has a long-standing tradition of excellence in shipping. Sun Enterprises Ltd., serves as the tanker management arm of the Group, overseeing a cutting-edge fleet of modern tankers, while Alios Bulkers Ltd., is responsible for managing the Group’s dry cargo fleet. Together, the two companies ensure the seamless operation of a diverse and modern fleet of 16 vessels, complemented by the ownership of two additional vessels chartered on a bareboat basis. The Group’s pioneering spirit in shipbuilding is evident through its impressive history, having successfully placed over 110 new building contracts with top-tier shipyards worldwide since 1948. Each tanker in the Group has been meticulously negotiated, specified, and constructed under the direct supervision of Sun Enterprises, ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety, and operational efficiency. At the heart of the Group’s philosophy lies an unwavering commitment to its values: Safety, Sustainability, Professional Integrity, Proactiveness, Innovation, Diligence, and Teamwork. These principles guide every aspect of the Group’s operations, from fleet management to business development, fostering a culture that prioritizes operational excellence, environmental stewardship, and ethical conduct. A vital part of our success lies in the strength and loyalty of our crew. We take pride in the fact that all our Senior Officers have been nurtured within the company, having joined as cadets and risen through the ranks. As a forward-thinking organization, the Group remains dedicated to adopting the latest technologies and industry best practices, ensuring compliance with evolving global regulations while maintaining a focus on delivering value to clients and stakeholders. With a rich heritage and an innovative mindset, the Group continues to build on its legacy, setting new benchmarks in the maritime industry.

www.sunenterprises.gr

Who Should Attend

This is a must attend event for all companies and individuals interested in Maritime Environmental Excellence and Sustainable Shipping , including:

• Ship owners
• Ship Manager Company Staff (Technical, Marine, Operations, Safety & Quality)
• Maritime professionals
• Regulatory & government authorities
• Flag state representatives
• Classification societies representatives
• Marine Insurers & P&I Executives
• Experts on information technologies (IT) onboard
• Other relevant with smart technologies Industry Organizations/ Executives/ Experts

Delegate Helpdesk

General Information

Who can I contact for more information on the event?
Please contact the organizers directly at e-mail: info [at] safety4sea [dot] com

Registration

How do I register?
To register you should fill in the online registration form and follow the instructions contained in the Registration Form.

Is the event free to attend for the delegates?
Attendance to the event is FREE subject to online registration. In case you are interested, please complete the online registration form and confirm with the organizers. FREE attendance includes coffee, snacks and drinks during breaks plus lunch at the event venue. Attendance does NOT include accommodation and/or traveling or parking which should be paid in by the delegates as decided/applicable.

What happens if I am unable to attend despite being registered?
Appreciate if you could inform the organizers by e-mail as soon as possible before the event.

At the event

Where is the event being held and how do I get there?
The event location is at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Istanbul Asia, Türkiye. You may find instructions here.

What happens when I get to the event venue?
When you arrive at the event please go to the registration desk and collect your badge which should be worn at all times. Welcome coffee and snacks are available during registration and breaks.

After the event

How may I evaluate and comment on the event?
You may comment with the organizers at any time, during or after the event. Furthermore an event evaluation form will be available online after the event to complete anonymously any comments you may have.

Please contact the organizers directly at e-mail: info [at] safety4sea [dot] com

We look forward to welcoming you at this event!