Decarbonisation: Sustainability & Crewing enroute to 2050 (Webinar)

With decarbonisation on shipping’s horizon, our industry is finding innovative new ways of operating ahead of the transition to new fuels and green technologies, and supporting this evolution with new regulations and essential safety measures. This innovative approach has allowed shipping to establish new lines of communication and collaboration, building towards a resilient and sustainable industry powering our global supply chains.

While these networks and collaborations establish fresh opportunities for maritime stakeholders to develop holistic approaches to crewing, it is our Seafarers who will play perhaps the most significant role in determining the success or failure of the industry’s upcoming strategies.

However, crewing needs extend far beyond the ongoing discussions of upskilling and recruitment. As we assess and commit to green fuels and technologies, we also have the opportunity to examine onboard operations, ship design and ergonomics, crew uptake of new skills and methodologies, and address any emerging health & safety risks. Regulations, such as the STCW, are already undergoing reassessment to expand beyond key skills required of crew to additionally address social interaction and culture onboard our vessels.

Our panel will bring together a range of industry experts to communicate their perspectives on how we re-establish our foundations and create a sustainable crewing strategy enroute to 2050.

Introducing our panel…

Catherine Logie (Moderator)

Director of Direct to Consumer Services, Ocean Technologies Group

Catherine Logie is the Director of Ocean Technologies Group’s Direct to Consumer Services. She is responsible for planning and implementing strategies for individual seafarers’ personal career development through access to E-learning, testing and certification.

Catherine also works with maritime businesses on their value-add requirements for recruitment and training.

Formerly head of Marlins business, Catherine has extensive experience in Maritime English, E-learning development, design and delivery of bespoke training programmes. She has worked globally with flag states on standards for language competence, with IMO on Maritime English, and with ship operators on training programmes for shore and ship personnel to improve crew safety, well-being and operational performance.

Yrhen Bernard Sabanal Balinis, MRIN, MNI, AMIMarEST.

Owner’s Representative Jr., AST Shipping

Yrhen Bernard Sabanal Balinis is a seafarer with more than 5 years of international sea-going experience onboard dry bulk carriers, general/ heavy lift cargo vessels, and oil/chemical tankers.

Currently, he is the Owner’s Representative Jr. of AST Shipping. Yrhen is also the youngest International Maritime Organization (IMO) Goodwill Maritime Ambassador and passionately advocates for youth in maritime and the development of the next generation of maritime professionals.

He also holds several leadership and ambassadorial positions in various professional bodies around the world. Yrhen is a proud Mariners’ Polytechnic Colleges Foundation alumnus, completing his studies in 2017 and subsequently conferred with his baccalaureate degree in Marine Transportation in 2020.

Sandra Welch

CEO, Seafarers Hospital Society

Sandra joined Seafarers Hospital Society in 2020 at an interesting and exciting time in its history as it moved towards its bicentenary in 2021.

Initially trained as a music teacher, Sandra later gained a Theology Degree at the University of Aberdeen, as well as gaining a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management. She brings versatility and depth of experience to Seafarers Hospital Society, having occupied a variety of senior roles working in International Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, in Communications as Editor in Chief and six years at Sailors’ Society, initially as director of programme and then chief operating officer with overall responsibility for the creation and development of crew welfare and wellbeing programmes and community development projects for seafaring communities in 26 countries.

Capt. Jaquelyn Burton, EMBA, AFNI.

Head of Creative Design, Kongsberg Maritime

Capt. Jaquelyn Burton, an alumna of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and Quantic School of Business and Technology, is presently enrolled as a Global Executive Ph.D. candidate in Management at ESCP Business School, focusing on design for sustainable industrial transformation.

In her role as the Head of Creative Design at Kongsberg Maritime, Burton leads creative design to shape technology and product development to cater specifically to the requirements of mariners and offshore workers. This responsibility builds on over a decade of practical experience at sea and in offshore operations.

She also undertakes multiple organizational and charitable roles, acting as the Chair of the Board of SAMS Norway (Sustainable Autonomous Mobility Systems, Norway), Head of IT and Web on the Board at the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association Norway (WISTA Norway), and Director of Operations on the Board of Captains without Borders. Her expertise also benefits the Nautical Institute’s Automation Technical Advisory Group.

Burton’s contributions to the maritime sector have been acknowledged by various organizations: she was listed among the Top 100 Women in Shipping in 2022 by All About Shipping, named a Maritime SheEO to Watch in 2022, recognized as one of the 18 Women Reshaping the Future of Ocean Industries in 2020 by Nautix Technologies, and featured as one of the 10 Women to Watch in the Maritime Industry in 2019 by YoungShip. Additionally, she received the WaveMaker Award at the Women Offshore 2019 Unite Conference.

With her comprehensive knowledge of Maritime Shipping, she brings substantial operational management experience in offshore LNG plants and international merchant ships, having spent over a decade onboard various types of vessels.

Capt. Pradeep Chawla

Group Managing Director, QHSE and Training with the Anglo Eastern Univan Group

Capt. Pradeep Chawla first went to sea as a cadet in 1974, taking command at age 29. He has since sailed on various types of ships, and in 1992 wrote a book on safety at sea, called “Jahaz par Suraksha” in Hindi. This book is the only maritime book that was also made into an audiobook.

He was the Group Managing Director, QHSE and Training with the Anglo Eastern Univan Group, where he oversaw the health and safety of over 650 vessels, and the training and development of over 30,000 sailing staff and over 1800 shore staff, before retiring after 31 years of service.

Capt. Chawla’s many achievements include the instrumental role he played in establishing training centres in Mumbai, Delhi, Manila, Odessa and Shenzhen, as well as the establishment of the Anglo-Eastern Maritime Academy in India, from which 480 cadets graduate each year.

Capt. Chawla has conceptualized, supervised and implemented IT platforms for a Learning Managing System, a Competence Management System, a Virtual Reality Training System and Gaming Apps as well as software for the monitoring of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Management.

He was also responsible for the implementation of software for tracking, charterparty compliance, CII compliance and connected ships for machinery monitoring, and has served as an invited member in the Shipping Consultative Committee to the Hong Kong Government.

Capt. Chawla is the Chairman of Global MET, an association of training institutes from across the world. He has also previously served as a vice president and council member of the Nautical Institute, UK.

Additionally, he was a member of the Intertanko Human Element Group and member of the Intertanko/OCIMF Steering Group on Human Element and has served as the Chairman of the Standard Club Safety and Loss Advisory Committee – Asia. Capt. Chawla was also a member of the Expert Group of the BIMCO Key Performance Indicators program.

Today, he is the CEO and Founder of Maritime Knowledge Ltd which provides a Digital Learning Management System, with video content, gaming apps and VR programs, with detailed analytics on the learning mindset of an organization.

Helio Vicente

Director of Employment Affairs, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

Helio Vicente is the Director of Employment Affairs at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the global trade association for shipowners and operators, representing over 80% of the world merchant fleet. He serves as Secretary of the ICS Labour Affairs Committee, responsible for global shipping employment policy and other related matters; as well as the ICS Diversity and Women’s panels. Helio previously served as Secretary of the ICS Shipping Policy Committee (SPC) and the ICS Shipping Canals Sub-Committee. Before ICS, Helio worked at the Diplomatic Mission of Angola to the IMO, at the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa, and at the IMO Sub-Division for Maritime Security and Facilitation.