SPEAKER PROFILES

Operations Manager, Wilhelmsen Ships Service Canarias SAU

German Acevedo Vinoly has:

- Over 18 years’ experience in shipping and developed a vast experience on Bunkering and Dry Docking Segments.
- Certification in Fundamentals of Offshore Field Development by IBC Academy (UK)
- Member of WSS Offshore extended global team and appointed as WSS Ambassador for all Iberia offshore activities
- Supported by a Team of 6 Operators with average of 10 years’ experience in shipping

Former Secretary of State

Managing Director, Petrospot Ltd 

Llewellyn has worked in bunkering, oil and shipping since 1980, as journalist and broker, in London and New York, working for Argus, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, Eperon Petroleum, Albion Oil and Energy Information. He joined MRC in Oxford to launch BunkerNews, before establishing Petrospot in 2003 to publish Bunkerspot magazine, news and pricing services, and highly-respected bunker and shipping books.

He has created and run globally-recognised events in 25 countries around the world, including Maritime Week Americas, ARACON, London International Shipping Week and European Shipping Week, and runs internationally-renowned training programmes, including the Oxford Bunker Course and BunkerExperience.

News Editor, Bunkerspot / ship.energy

Rhys joined Bunkerspot as a reporter in 2014. Prior to his appointment, Rhys lived in Madrid and Barcelona where he taught English. An American and Latin American Studies graduate from the University of Swansea, Rhys is also a fluent Spanish speaker.

In addition to publishing daily news stories, Rhys contributes feature articles to Bunkerspot on a range of topics including environmental and legislative issues, technological developments as well as in-depth one-to-one interviews with some of the bunker industry’s leading figures.

In 2020, Rhys was appointed News Editor of ship.energy, Petrospot’s most recent information platform, which provides news, comment, and expert analysis of shipping’s journey towards a net zero emission future.

Rhys regularly reports on maritime conferences across Europe and has also attended Petrospot’s Oxford Bunker Course. He lives in Warwick, England.

Global Account Manager, VT Group

Claudia Beumer entered the maritime industry as Business Development Manager for Emerson, where she focused on bunker flow meters. Now, more than 10 years later and after some sidesteps, she is back in the bunker industry as Global Account Manager for one of her first customers, VT.

Advocating transparency and accurate measurement for the bunkering of all types of fuels has always been a red line throughout her career, including in her previous role at Wärtsilä, where she worked as sales and marketing manager for Gas Solutions. Claudia has also been a member of the first working group within the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF), which focused on quantity and quality measurements for LNG bunkering.

By education, she is a chemical engineer and in her current role, this diverse background and her passion for the bunker industry will help VT and its customers to make the transition from traditional fuels to the future fuel mix.

Manager, Bunker Services, Teekay Shipping (UK) Ltd

Mads Bjørnebye has worked in the Oil & Gas industry for over 18 years, starting at ExxonMobil in 2003. He has worked in the bunker industry since 2009, having held various positions with Wilhelmsen Premier Marine Fuels, Cockett Marine Oil and KPI Bridge Oil.

Since 2018, he has headed up the bunker procurement team at Teekay.

Senior Bunker Trader, Galp Energia

Susana Broco graduated as a marine engineer from the Escola Superior Náutica infante D. Henrique ENIDH (Portuguese Maritime College), where she also got the Title of Specialist on Marine Transport with special focus on the supply of marine fuels/bunkers and she was at the sea for one year. After that, Susana joined Petrogal, company of Galp Group, where she has been a trader, trading several different distillates and residual products as well as crude oil and, for the last 18 years, bunkering. Susana is also a board member of the Portuguese Marine Officers Clube and a board member of ENIDH Alumni Association.

President, Atlantic Emergency Response Association

Regarding my bio/summary, my name is Woo Sung Chang Kim, I am Spanish Shipping Lawyer.

• Undergraduate Universidad Complutense de Madrid Law School
• Master in Shipping Business IME-ICADE, Madrid
• LLM in Shipping Law University of Wales
• Over 25 years practice in Shipping law in Spain and lecturer on P&I Insurance.
• From 2021, President of the Asociación Atlántica de Emergencias Marítimas.

Technical Consultant, Lecturer and Author

Nigel Draffin has been involved in shipping for over 50 years and in bunkering for over 25 years. He joined Shell Tankers in 1966, serving on all classes of vessel, including VLCCs and LNG tankers. In 1979, he joined the newbuilding department of Shell International Marine and later transferred to Shell’s R&D unit, specialising in control systems, fuel combustion and safety systems.

In 1986, Nigel moved to the commercial department as a bunker buyer and economics analyst, two years later becoming Head of Operational Economics, responsible for all of the fuel purchased for the Shell fleet. In 1996, he joined E. A. Gibson Shipbrokers which, in 2006, merged with US-based broking house LQM Petroleum Services, where he was Senior Broker and Technical Manager. He retired from LQM in July 2015.

Nigel is a founder member of IBIA, serving several times on its council of management, the board and as its Chairman.  Nigel has written 10 books on bunkering, shipping and marine lubes published by Petrospot, and is Director of the Petrospot Academy. Nigel is a member of IMarEST and Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Fuellers.

Manager Strategic Bunker Purchase, SAL - Heavy Lift

Tim Fuhrmann has spent 10+ years on the African Continent as a Security and Risk Management Expert. He founded and ran internationally operating companies that provided services amongst others to the extractive and logistics industries in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe.

He has developed extensive local and market knowledge in the region before returning to Europe and entering the Shipping Industry as Manager for Strategic Bunker Purchase of the SAL Heavy Lift and the Harren & Partner Group.

There he manages the global bunker needs for all business units as well as the Risk Management of the group’s energy requirements.

Head of Products Trading, CEPSA

Carlos Giner, Director of Bunker at Cepsa, has extensive experience in the energy sector having held various management positions, both for operations in Spain and internationally, throughout the value chain of the Lubricants, Base Oils and Paraffin Waxes, Products’ Trading and Bunkering businesses. Giner began his professional career at Chevron and joined Cepsa in 2012, following Cepsa's acquisition of Chevron (formerly Texaco) assets. After recently leading the Products Trading for a few years, including Bunkering, he is now focusing his efforts on further developing the latter, given the fundamental role that Cepsa plays in the energy transition following the publication of its 'Positive Motion' strategy , representing this transition and change the greatest challenge in the history of the maritime business worldwide.

Former President of the Canarian Confederation of Entrepreneurs (CCE)

Born in Galdar, Gran Canaria, Sebastián Grisaleña Sánchez is the founder of Grisaleña S.L and he is Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Over his business career he has been the President of the Association of Importers of the Canary Islands (ADICAN), chaired the ENTE of the El Goro Business Park and also chaired the Canarian Confederation of Entrepreneurs – CCELP.

Distinctions include being Honorary President of the Canarian Confederation of Entrepreneurs - CCELP; the Order of Distinction of the Autonomous Community of Madeira; Adopted Son of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Favourite Son of Gran Canaria.

Business Development Director, Zamakona Yards

A native of Firgas in the Canary Islands, Roberto José Hernández de la Iglesia is an Industrial Engineer and Director of Quality and Research, Development and Innovation at one of Spain's main shipbuilding and ship repair groups, Zamakona Yards in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. He also teaches Materials Science as an associate professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC).

President, Port Authority of Las Palmas

Senior Bunker Trader, Minerva Bunkering

Commercial Manager, Alfaship

Iryna Krasnikova has started in the international commerce 16 years ago, working for various Spanish companies, mostly as the export manager. Having obtained the Master's degree in the International Business and Foreign Trade, Iryna got interested in the maritime industry and after a period of training in Spanish Maritime Institute started working for the Alfaship Shipping Agency in 2012, first in Barcelona and later she was transferred to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. She is strongly focused on the bunkering business and innovation in port services.

She holds following academic degrees:

• Executive Executive MBA by EAE Business School, Barcelona
• Master in Shipping and Logistics Business Administration by Bureau Veritas Business School & Spanish Maritime Institute
• Bulk Chartering course by Spanish Maritime Institute
• Master's degree in International Business and Foreign Trade by the University of Barcelona
• Management and Administration in Publishing enterprises by State Technological University of Belarus

Economic Councillor to the Government of the Canary Islands

Commercial Director, Port Authority of Las Palmas

CEO, Suisca Group

President of Gran Canaria Island Council (Cabildo de Gran Canaria)

CEO, Leverans Baltic OÜ

Owner of technical marine supply company Leverans Baltic OU with Head Office in Odessa, Ukraine and warehouse in Tallinn, Estonia. Purchase spare parts (genuine/licensed/replacement) and complete equipment (new/rebuild) for vessels needs with delivery all over the world. Experience in technical supply 7 years. Preparing education course for mid-level specialist “Marine technical purchaser”, work together with HR agency to offer our specialist to European Ship Owners and Suppliers on outsourcing/remote basis. Develop the entry of Ukraine into WISTA International. Graduated from Odessa National Marine University with Master degree. Worked in agency, chartering (Aquavita International) and ship owner (Vista Shipping, TechProject) companies. Have left Ukraine in first day of war, now temporary located in Portugal.

CEO, Lrl Ingeniería

Project Development Coordinator, Best in Gran Canaria, SPEGC

Guillermo is an economist with an academic background in Transport & Trade. He is experienced in various O&G and Logistics posts within the Port of Las Palmas ecosystem.

He joined the island's economic promotion agency 3 years ago, where he contributes to the development of maritime & digital projects.

Sales Manager, TESS Canarias

Selene Rodriguez is Sales Manager of Tess Canarias.

For the last five years she has gained experience and knowledge on the technical side of the business, understanding the needs of clients and opening new business opportunities.

Currently she is responsible for the oil & gas, maritime and bunkering sectors, giving support to technical managers/superintendents and the purchase departments of Tess’s clients, and looking for new projects for the oil & gas Industry by expanding the company’s services worldwide.

CEO, De Jacomar

* Engineer with more than 25 years in fuel storage terminals.
* Maintenance management of oil installations in maritime terminals.
* Consultant for means of protection against fires and the fight against pollution in port facilities.
* Trainer in risk analysis and emergency actions in fuel storage parks and maritime terminals.
* Directorate of prevention services in work for drilling ships.
* Drafting of projects and construction management MI-IP-02. API 570
* Writer of Self-protection Plans in oil installations, shipyards, container terminals....
* Security Advisor for the transport of dangerous goods.
* Reports/expertise on fire claims on ships.
* Management and monitoring of Ship to Ship operations.
* Port Facilities Protection Officer.

Project Manager, Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias (Plocan)

Alejandro Romero-Filgueira is an Electrical Engineer. He has developed his professional career in the energy sector as a Technical Consultor, specialised in Predictive Maintenance and Commissioning, co-founding his own consultancy. He is actually R&D Project Manager at PLOCAN and Coordinator of  the H2020 FLOTANT project about floating offshore wind.  

Head of Sales - EMEA, Minerva Bunkering

Director General, Casa Africa

CEO, Astilleros Canarios ASTICAN

Business & Management Degree ( ICADE ) , European Business and Consulting Postgraduate Degree ( ESCP-EAP ), Spanish Port Law Specialisation Course ( IE ), Data Technology Specialisation Course ( IE ), Senior Management Programme Course ( Fundación Bravo Murillo ).

Partner and Managing Director in an International Shipping Group ( Greek & Spanish shareholding ) named ALIMIA. Chairman in Astilleros Canarios ( ASTICAN ), Astilleros de Santander ( ASTANDER ), Astilleros de Balboa ( ASTIBAL) and Delta Star Inversiones – Parent Spanish Company in Christophersen Group.

ASTICAN, ASTANDER and Delta Star Inversiones are the three Spanish Companies in Alimia Group focused on Maritime Industry and Port Operations with investments in Spain and Latin America.  Alimia Group has its headquarters in Chipre.

Nowadays , our Group has become the biggest private company of shipyards in Spain, exclusively focused on shiprepairs and conversión in the Canary Islands, Cantabria and the Panama Canal.

Likewise, Delta Star Inversiones holds the majority of the main Port Operator in Uruguay – Christophersen Group.

Outside Spain, Alimia Group has its commercial management and technical control based in Greece for the whole shipping activity.

Germán C. Suárez , among other responsabilities within and outside the maritime sector, is Partner and CEO of the family office “ Germán Suárez Investments”, co-Chair in the stevedoring company “ Boluda&Suárez General Cargo”, CEO in several data companies “INERZA”, “CONTACTEL” and “INETEL TECHNOLOGIES”, Member of Executive Board and Managing Board in the Confederación Canaria de Empresarios, Member in the Circulo de Empresarios de Gran Canaria, Member in the  Asociación Española de Directivos in the Canary Islands and Member in the European Shipyard Business Asociation & Maritime Technology “ Sea Europe”.

Professor of Economics, University of Las Palmas

Senior Trader, Oryx Energies

Stanislas Violet studied at Grenoble Management School, achieving a Master’s in Finance and Management in 2010.

He started his career in 2009 as bunker broker at Socomet Bunkering, becoming a partner in 2013.

He moved to Addax in April 2014 as a bunker trader and was tasked with launching Las Palmas terminal bunker operations in December 2014.

Violet then took on the role of fuel oil trader in September 2021 and is now taking care of the bunker desk and also cargo fuel sales and purchasing for Addax on the West Africa desk.