Training

ACADEMY DIRECTOR

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.

Technical Consultant, BP Marine

PETER DAVID joined the BP Research Centre, Sunbury-on-Thames in 1977 after graduating from the University College of Swansea, University of Wales with BSc (Hons) and PhD degrees in Chemistry.

After a short period in the Analytical Laboratory applying infrared spectroscopy to research the structure of crude oils and petroleum products, he joined the BP Global Fuels Technology Team and over a period of 25 years at Sunbury-on-Thames gained experience on all transport and power generation liquid fuels. From 1995, he was Team Leader of the Product Quality Team, with responsibility for design and implementation of development projects to support BP’s worldwide fuel marketing and manufacturing strategies.

He left BP in 2003 and is currently working as a Technical Consultant for BP Marine, other petroleum companies and equipment manufacturers.

Graduated as Maritime Economist from Universidad Argentina de la Empresa in 1991, have a post Degree and Master in Shipping form ULACIT, Panama in 1997. Have act as lecturer on several universities since 1999 and designed and stablished the Post degree on Bunkers program for the Panama International Maritime University.

He started his shipping carrier in 1992 as vessel operator for Panamanian Carriers Corporation growing to became Tanker Manager, in 1999 he started as Project Manager for Petrolera Nacional, where he stablished Transmarine Transportation and Barging in 2001, a bunker barge operation, that he lead as general manager. In 2009 he partners with Dutch Barge operator, VT group and stablished VT Shipping Panama becoming his director until February 2019. Today he is the Executive Director of the Panamanian Bunker Association, work as lead consultant for Maritime Procurement inc,

He has been very active on business associations being chair of committees. He created and was the first chairman the Bunker committee for the Panamanian Shipping Chamber and the Panama bunker cluster. He was also board member for 8 periods and president of the Panama Shipping chamber in 2010-2011.

Mr. Digeronimo is a regular speaker at multiple bunker events in Latin America, including MWA, he is lecturer on the Petrospot bunker courses in Spanish and organizes and directs the BunkerExperience Panama. 

Senior Quality Manager - Marine, World Fuel Services

Michael joined World Fuel Services, as Senior Quality Manager for Marine Technical, in December 2019 following 17 years in the fuel testing industry with Lintec Testing Services / Intertek ShipCare. As a member of the marine technical team his focus is delivering added value to WFS customers. The technical team also offers support for the WFS physical delivery locations, support in relation to continued progression of legislative reform, development of new fuels and technologies and quality / quantity disputes.

Michael is heavily involved with a range of established industry technical committees and working groups as well as industry associations within the marine fuel sector. He currently represents the UK on the BSI PTI /002 working group as well as number of ISO working groups including the ISO 8217 working group ISO/TC 28/SC 4/WG 6, and the ISO Alternative Marine Fuels group ISO /TC28/SC4/WG18. He is also an active member in a number of different working groups and sub-committees at The Energy Institute as well as having previously spent 9 years as a member of the CIMAC Working Group 7 for Fuels.

Michael is the immediate past Chairman of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), a position he held for two years. He joined the IBIA Board of Directors in April 2014 taking an active role in the development and progression of the association. During his time at IBIA he acted as the chairman of the working group for Training and Education and was elected to the position of Vice Chair of the IBIA board of directors in April 2016. Michael took on the role as the Chairman of the IBIA Board of Directors in April 2018 working closely with the Director of IBIA to ensure progression and recognition of the contribution the association provides to its members and the bunkering industry as a whole.

Credit Manager, Hartree Marine Fuels LLC

PAUL MILLAR entered the marine credit industry in 1984 when he joined ECS Marine as a credit analyst.  In 1991, he joined MRC Business Information Group Ltd which later became Lloyd’s MIU and subsequently Lloyd’s List Intelligence. As Intelligence Director, Paul was responsible for the entire credit reporting business and data gathering side for the Companies and Ports business.

Paul left Lloyd’s in June 2009 to join Bomin Ltd as Managing Director and Head of Global Credit for the Bomin Group. 

In July 2020, Paul established Bunker Credit Management Ltd and provided credit management services for Bomin Bunker Oil Corp and GCC Bunkers.

Most recently, Paul joined Hartree Marine Fuels LLC as Credit Manager. Hartree Marine is 100% owned by Hartree Partners LP and ultimately majority controlled by Oaktree.

Partner, Preston Turnbull

He acts for a wide range of international banks, corporates and trade houses on all types of commercial litigation disputes. Andrew specialises in general commercial litigation, shipping and trading disputes. Over twenty five years, he has acted for a large number of corporates, oil majors, shipowners, insurers, charterers, operators, suppliers and cargo interests and their insurers both nationally and internationally. He has litigated in every level of Commercial Court up to the Supreme Court on two occasions (Datec –v- UPS and The Far Service). Throughout his career he has applied his skills to find commercial solutions for clients. Andrew has been rated by the directories as one of the leading shipping lawyers for many years acting for a wide range of shipowners, trading houses, charterers and their insurers. One client in the Directories said "Probably the best lawyer for head on the block advice. Andrew Preston exercises sound judgment as a gift simplifying even the most complex problems".

He steered Clyde & Co as the Global Head of Shipping for over a decade taking it to a tier 1 ranking.

Andrew is recognised as one of the leading lawyers in the world at liabilities arising out of bunker/fuel supply disputes. He was involved, together with James Kennedy, in the new Bimco bunker contracts and centrally involved in all of the major bunker events over the last years including the OW collapse, the collapse of Hanjin and the Houston problems of 2018. He is advising many industry figures in relation to 2020 issues and the forthcoming sulphur caps.

Partner, Simms Showers LLP / IBIA Board Member

J. Stephen (“Steve”) Simms is a Principal of Simms Showers LLP.  He serves as Chair of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) Legal Working Group and is an immediate past member of IBIA’s Board.

Steve was selected for the United States Department of Justice, Honor Law Graduates Program and served as a federal prosecutor before entering private practice.  He is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law (Chicago) where he was Editor‑in‑Chief of the Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business. He holds an M.A. in International Studies from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and a B.A. in International Studies from The Johns Hopkins University.

Steve is extensively involved in bunker quality disputes, including the recent Houston-Panama-Singapore quality claims situation. He advises leading bunker traders, suppliers and brokers on the many issues arising in advance of 2020, including important revisions to sales terms and conditions, bunker delivery receipts, and sound credit and recovery planning.

He is a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States and of the bars of the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits; United States District Courts for the District of Maryland (Trial Bar), District of Columbia, Northern District of Illinois, the states of Maryland and the District of Columbia, the United States Court of International Trade, and through special admission practices in other federal and state courts throughout the United States.

Customer Services Manager – Intertek Lintec

Michael graduated from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne with a BSc (Hons) degree in Chemistry in 2005. In June 2006 he joined Lintec Testing Services as a Laboratory Analyst, moving into the role of Shift Supervisor the next year.

Having spent just over 3 years in the laboratory, Michael moved to the Customer Services team in 2010 and having gained valuable experience in the client facing role, took on additional responsibilities as a Key Account Manager at the beginning of 2017, and added the role of Technical Supervisor in December 2019.

The start of 2020 saw Michael move into the Customer Services Manager’s role, where he is involved with the day to day running of the department, overseeing global testing and inspection operations which are coordinated from the Intertek Lintec office in Darlington.

Managing Director, Shipping Strategy Ltd

Mark Williams is founder and Managing Director of Shipping Strategy Ltd, a boutique management consultancy based in the UK which focuses providing data-driven actionable insights on maritime and energy industries to clients including governments and regulators, ship owners, investors and charterers, trading houses and other actors in and around the shipping industry. Mark is also Contributing Editor of Ship.Energy, the leading free-to-view website covering shipping’s path to zero carbon, and presenter of the popular Ship.Energy podcast. He is a founder of Diversity Study Group, a peer benchmarking service for HR professionals in the shipping and energy industries. He is a Course Director at Lloyd’s Maritime Academy where he teaches on Shipping Markets Analysis and ESG in Shipping. Mark has 25 years’ experience in ship finance, broking and consultancy with companies like Informa, HSBC and Braemar Seascope. He is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. 

Director of UK, Marine Engineer, Brookes Bell

Brendan Cuffe is an Incorporated Engineer with a First Class Certificate of Competency (Motor) and a BSc (Open) degree.  Brendan joined Brookes Bell in 2008 initially in the London office, after ten years' previous surveying experience with two London based Marine Consultancies.  Brendan relocated to Shanghai office in 2010 until April 2019 when he returned to Liverpool in the role of Director of UK.  Brendan also leads our fuel team and is also responsible for the operations and expansion of our bunkering department and has dealt almost exclusively with bunker dispute cases since 2018.  As well as attending vessels to investigate damage and cause when fuel quality is suspected, Brendan works in close co-operation with our chemists, dealing with a range of fuel related matters such as contamination, non-conformance to ISO:8217 specifications, sampling and on board fuel management of problematic fuels.