23 October - 24 October
Hilton Rotterdam Hotel
We are living in a time of flux, and the global shipping and bunker industries are having to respond to geopolitical challenges, market volatility, tightening environmental regulation, technological innovation, and a widening marine fuel pool – all whilst trying to maintain a competitive edge.
Aracon25 Programme
At ARACON 2025, the discussions will be focused on the importance of making the right choices so that the bunker sector can adapt efficiently and effectively to new and upcoming commercial, operational and regulatory imperatives and mandates. By being fully informed about market dynamics and pressures, marine fuel companies can prepare themselves for business headwinds, as well as future opportunities.
Speakers in Rotterdam will look at the key factors driving the industry globally – and, of course, within the ARA region. Each element of the marine fuel supply chain will be examined closely to see how it is adapting to change – whether it be the demands of the energy transition, the requirement for more transparency in business practices, and the need for greater financial liquidity and stronger risk management in an industry where costs are set to rise exponentially.
Programme details are updated regularly and are subject to change as new speakers are confirmed and themes developed.
If you feel you could make a significant contribution to the programme, please email Lesley Bankes-Hughes at [email protected] or call +44 1295 814455 to discuss this further.
Exhibition Opens
Day 2 of ARACON will begin with a progress report on shipping’s energy transition and how this is being supported by the marine fuels industry. Speakers will look at the scalability and availability of new bunker fuels from a global and ARA perspective, and they will consider if change lies ahead in terms of bunkering locations and bunker planning.
Presentations will also consider the pricing of low carbon fuels, how existing marine fuel producers and suppliers are navigating the decarbonisation process and how new energy producers are moving into the shipping and bunkering sectors. Speakers will also look at the extent to which the traditional business model for bunkering can continue as it is, given the growing market for new fuels, with discussion topics including offtake agreements and trading.
Moderator:
Lesley Bankes-Hughes, Managing Director, ship.energy
FAME is not the only Bio-Flame
Steve Bee, Group Marketing & Strategic Projects Director, VPS
Bio-LNG: Challenges and Opportunities
Jan Schubert, Commercial Director – LNG Bunkering, Avenir LNG
Dr. Pourya Parsaeian, Senior Technologist and Project Manager at Castrol
Ammonia Bunkering
Joachim de Ruiter, QHSE, Victrol
Martin Pot, Innovation & New Business Development, Victrol
Managing Director
ship.energy
Lesley Bankes-Hughes is a highly experienced editor, news journalist and features writer. After a number of years as business editor of Jane’s Defence Weekly, she worked for the International Stock Exchange and Euromoney Publications. She also established a specialist newsletter covering European corporate mergers and acquisitions, and later spent several years at Christ Church, University of Oxford, with responsibility for developing educational outreach projects.
Senior Technologist and Project Manager
Castrol
Dr. Pourya Parsaeian is an expert in lubricants, tribology, and sustainable mobility, with over 15 years of experience across the automotive, marine, industrial, and energy sectors. He holds a BSc and MSc in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Leeds, where he specialized in lubricant, lubrication and surface engineering under Professor Anne Neville.
Currently at bp-Castrol, Pourya leads R&D projects focused on sustainable mobility, reciprocating engine technologies, and future fuels, ensuring products are validated from lab to field and aligned with OEM and regulatory standards. Previously at Croda, he led the development of sustainable additive and lubricant technologies, strengthened OEM partnerships, and positioned the company as a trusted partner through technical leadership and innovation.
Passionate about bridging science and market needs, Pourya has designed novel test methodologies, delivered credible product claims, and represented the industry at conferences and OEM forums worldwide. His work continues to drive innovation in lubricant technology while supporting the transition to more sustainable energy solutions.
Group Commercial & Business Development Director
VPS
Steve is the Group Commercial & Business Development Director for VPS, responsible for the development and implementation of global commercial strategy, since joining the company in July 2016,
Graduating from Northumbria University with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry, Steve worked as an R&D Chemist for BNFL, ICI and Sanofi-Aventis, before joining Anachem Ltd, in a commercial role within laboratory instrumentation in 1997.
Progressing his international commercial career, Steve moved from technical sales to Sales & Marketing Manager, before becoming the General Manager for a1-Envirotech, gaining formal business management qualifications and awards along the way.
Steve joined Lintec Testing Services Ltd, a subsidiary of Intertek, as Operations & Key Accounts Manager in 2007, before becoming General Manager of Lintec in 2011, then Director of Intertek ShipCare in June 2012, a role held until joining VPS.
Key Account Manager, Maritime Business
Port of Antwerp-Bruges
Ann has been working for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges for over 24 years where she developed a passion for shipping, and breakbulk and roro in particular.
As a Key Account Manager Maritime business, she has a strong customer-driven mentality. She puts her solid experience in breakbulk, dry bulk and roro into practice by assisting customers to find the best solution for their business.
Over the last 5 years, decarbonization has been a key topic in hear daily discussions with shipping companies on one side and as a member of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges multifuel port project team and point of contact for bunker operators on the other side.
Commercial Director
Avenir LNG
Jan Schubert is Commercial Director at Avenir LNG, a leading provider of small-scale LNG infrastructure for marine bunkering and industry customers.
Avenir owns the largest fleet of small-scale vessels for the transport and bunkering of LNG and bio-LNG in the world and is a leading supplier for marine and terminal clients in Northwest Europe and world-wide.
Mr. Schubert has more than a decade experience in developing LNG infrastructure for marine, inland vessels and truck customers including positions at the Linde Group subsidiary Nauticor and LIQUIND 24/7 (now Vigo Bioenergy).
In 2022, Mr. Schubert joined Avenir and has a special focus on land- and sea-based LNG & bio-LNG supply chains for marine customers.
QHSE
Victrol
Joachim de Ruiter is the Quality Manager at Victrol. The company operates a fleet of 45 chemical inland vessels, three tugboats, and two LNG bunker vessels – one with a capacity of 3,000 m³ and another of 8,000 m³, which is ammonia-ready.
With over 25 years of experience in inland navigation, Joachim began his career sailing inland barges, progressing through several roles before serving as captain in his later years at sea. After moving ashore, he worked at SGS as a senior cargo inspector and OCIMF/EBIS inspector for inland barges.
Since joining Victrol in 2014, Joachim has been instrumental in various safety and compliance initiatives. In 2017, he was assigned to the LNG London project to ensure legal compliance and develop safety procedures – a role that continued with the second LNG bunker vessel, Energy Stockholm.
Innovation & News Business Development
Victrol
Martin Pot is the New Business Development Manager of Victrol. Victrol operates a fleet of 45 chemical inland vessels, 3 tugboats, and 2 LNG-bunker vessels that are “Ammonia Ready”.
Having joined Victrol in 2023, Martin holds a Bsc. in Engineering and has over 37 years of experience in a wide range of businesses including inland navigation. Starting his career in Oil & Gas, he is now responsible for developing the Energy Transition related side of Victrol’s business which includes Liquified CO2, Cold Ammonia and Liquified Hydrogen.
https://www.victrol.be/highly-qualified-waterway-transport-all-over-europe
The 2025 edition of ARACON will, as usual, come to a close with its always enjoyable and informative Industry Leaders session, where a no holds barred discussion on the future proofing of the industry will be guaranteed.
Change in many forms lies ahead for the shipping and bunkering sectors, including decarbonisation and ways of doing business, along with geopolitical and other risk factors. In this session, panellists will share their views on how their respective companies are embracing change and engaging in resilience building, how they as leaders are reevaluating their roles and responsibilities, and whether industry consolidation – or fragmentation – is also coming down the line.
Moderator:
Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, CEO & Founder, ship.energy
Leon van Duivendijk, Managing Director, Iver Ships B.V.
Marc Strickland, Senior Operations Manager, Range Shipping Ltd
Alexander Prokopakis, Executive Director, IBIA
Chris Turner, Manager, Bunker Quality & Claims, Integr8 Fuels Inc.
CEO & Founder
ship.energy
Joint CEO, Shipping Innovation | Director, Maritime UK
Llewellyn began his career in the oil industry in 1980, working both as a journalist and as oil broker in London and New York, with Petroleum Argus, Eperon Petroleum, Albion Oil, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly and OPEC Listener, before joining MRC Business Information Group in Oxford – which later became Lloyd’s List Intelligence after MRC’s acquisition by Informa – where he rose to Managing Director before leaving in May 2003 to establish Petrospot Ltd.
He is a Founding Member of the International Bunker Industry Association, which he helped create in 1993 and has organised conferences, seminars, training courses and multiple other events in 35 countries around the world and attended events as a journalist or conference speaker in a further dozen countries.
Llewellyn is co-creator, co-founder and co-owner of the biennial London International Shipping Week, whose first edition took place in September 2013 and has become one of the largest maritime events in the world.
Llewellyn was born in Abergavenny, Wales, in 1957 and lives in Oxfordshire.
Leon studied to become Maritime Officer in Vlissingen, The Netherlands followed by a study Maritime Science at the University of Antwerp. He sailed on product/chemical tankers for Vroon as deck officer before joining the Operations team in 2007. He became Operations Manager for the Vroon tanker fleet (Iver Ships) in 2012. As from 2016 he moved on as Head Operations for the Vroon Group of Companies and became responsible for all operational processes within the Vroon Group for their 200 vessels at the time.
As from 2018, Leon started as Director Shared Resources at Vroon and in that capacity leading a team responsible for amongst others the implementation of new rules and regulations, innovation as well as responsible for groupwide business processes.
Senior Operations Manager
Range Shipping Ltd
Started out at Carisbrooke Shipping on the Isle of Wight as a 19 year old in 1995 and progressed from trainee to operations manger over nearly 2 hugely enjoyable decades in the short sea and project market.
Then took that experience on to the bright lights of London and Swire Bulk where he spent almost 6 years adding experience to the team there.
Now 2 and a half years into the project at Range Shipping as Senior Operations Manager, Marc is bringing that wealth of experience to help the company grown and make it’s name in the market as well as being a mentor and inspiration to the younger members of the team.
Executive Director
IBIA
Alexander is the Executive Director of IBIA. Under the direction of IBIA’s Chair and Board he is leading the Secretariat, heading all the activities of the organization and he is responsible for the overall management of the Association.
Alexander was the founder, CEO and the architect of probunkers. Prior to founding probunkers, he served Mamidakis Brothers Group as a senior executive, leading all of the Group’s Shipping, Bunkering and Aviation activities, through its respective companies: JetOil, JetTank and STYGA Compania Naviera.
Mr. Prokopakis has over 25 years of professional experience in leadership positions, over which he has attained deep knowledge and expertise mainly in the industry of shipping and bunkering. He is a Graduate of St. John’s University with an MBA in Executive Management and holds a BSc Degree in Business Management from the State University of New York.
Technical Manager
Integr8 Fuels
Chris Turner, Technical Manager at Integr8 Fuels, joined the bunker trading firm in 2017 and is based in Dubai, UAE.
During his career spanning over 30 years in Oil & Shipping Industries, Chris has vast experience in Laboratory Management, Physical Supply, Bunker Broking, Trading and, more recently, providing technical supervision of the exclusive buying for Owners, Charterers and Operators including the development and design of online bunker resources.
Chris also sits on the International Bunker Industry Association’s (IBIA) technical working group.
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