21 October - 23 October
Hilton Rotterdam Hotel
ARACON 26 will once again bring together senior executives, technical experts, policymakers and innovators to discuss the ‘state of play’ for the global marine fuels sector – and with a close focus on the challenges and issues impacting the world second largest bunker market, the (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) region.
Aracon26 Programme
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.
(Premium members: log in to unlock your 10% discount on the standard price to £1,255.50)
Exhibition Opens
This will be a no holds barred session where the proponents of change in the bunker sector will have their say. Panellists will discuss how digitalisation and AI might shake-up and strengthen fuel procurement and delivery processes and operations, vessel efficiency and routing optimisation, fuel supply chain security, counterparty financial transactions, and credit risk assessments. Will these ‘advances’ result in a more transparent, efficient and resilient bunker industry which, together with shipping, has been seen as historically resistant to changing the status quo.
Moderator:
Claudia Beumer, Owner/Director, C4 Fuel
Speakers:
Lei Men, Shipping Analyst, Dynamar
Simon Ring, Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer, Certy
Capt. Alok Sharma, Chief Strategist, Fuelsure
Martin Wold, EVP Business Development & Strategy, Ofiniti
Frederik Sentow, Solution Expert: Bunkers, ZeroNorth
Director
C4fuel BV
With an educational background in Chemical Engineering and a proven track record in the bunkering industry, Claudia has a wide experience on both conventional and alternative fuels. From her first role on selling Mass Flow Meters, throughout her position in LNG Cargo Handling Systems and the commercial leadership for a barge operator, bunkering has always been at the core of all her activities. All that experience in different aspects of the bunkering industry and the continuous focus on alternative fuels, came together in December 2023 in her own company; C4 fuel.
C4 fuel was established to support maritime stakeholders in better understanding and embracing the changes in the maritime industry from both a technical and commercial perspective. In addition, Claudia represents SGMF as Membership and Communications Manager. Claudia has always been active in several associations, from SGMF at the start of her maritime career, to the NEN working group (methanol bunkering standard) and since April 2023, also as a board member for IBIA (The International Bunker Industry Association), for which she was recently re-elected. Within IBIA, she also acts as the Chair of the Bunkerlicense and MassFlowMeter Working Group and as a member of the Future Fuels Working Group.
Senior Counterparty Risk Analyst
Dynamar
Lei Men is a senior counterparty risk analyst at Dynamar B.V., a Netherlands-based consultancy company recognised for its expertise in maritime intelligence, counterparty risk evaluation, and maritime sector research. With nearly a decade of experience, Lei has led and contributed to comprehensive counterparty assessments and strategic market reports that support global stakeholders across maritime, logistics, and trade finance.
His analytical approach combines quantitative financial review with qualitative industry insight, offering clients a balanced view of credit exposure and operational resilience. Before joining Dynamar, Lei worked in the banking and hospitality industries, where he developed a cross-sector understanding of financial due diligence and risk profiling.
He holds a master’s degree in economics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Active within the maritime community, Lei has presented insights on credit exposure and market dynamics at key industry events, including conferences in Singapore (2024) and Dubai (2025).
Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer
Certy
Simon Ring is Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of CERTY, a real-time digital credit intelligence infrastructure designed to help maritime companies make faster and monitor, better-informed counterparty and credit decisions.
He has more than 30 years’ experience across financial markets, maritime risk, sanctions and regulatory technology, including over 15 years working directly with the shipping, commodity trading, banking and marine fuels sectors. Simon previously founded and developed PurpleTRAC, one of the maritime industry’s pioneering sanctions and compliance platforms, working with leading banks, commodity traders, insurers and bunker companies globally. He later held a senior commercial role at Windward, focusing on maritime sanctions, compliance and risk intelligence.
Simon also contributes to industry and government discussions on maritime sanctions, including through the RUSI Maritime Sanctions Task Force and engagement with UK and European policymakers.
At CERTY, his focus is addressing one of marine energy’s most persistent challenges: enabling real-time credit risk decisions in a market where substantial unsecured trade finance and receivables exposure must often be approved within minutes, while the market and geopolitical spectrum have reached unseen historical levels of volatility and disruption.
Chief Strategist
Fuelsure
Capt. Alok Sharma began his career at sea as a Master Mariner before moving into the commercial side of shipping, energy trading and maritime technology. With more than three decades of experience across capital, data, AI and technology within shipping and energy markets, he has led global commercial, revenue and growth strategies across shipping, commodities and technology businesses.
He now advises Fuelsure, a marine fuel intelligence and decarbonisation platform, focusing on commercial strategy, market positioning and the use of data and AI to improve marine fuel procurement decisions. He also serves as board member of Fintech companies concentrating for the maritime and energy sectors with a focus to drawing more investment into our industry.
EVP Business Development & Strategy
Ofiniti
Martin Wold is EVP Business Development & Strategy at Ofiniti, where he helps drive the success of FuelBoss – the industry’s leading operational platform for bunkering. With over 15 years at DNV, Martin built deep expertise in alternative fuels and lead numerous initiatives to accelerate the maritime energy transition. He works closely with shipowners, fuel suppliers, ports, surveyors and technology partners to streamline workflows and enhance data transparency. A frequent speaker at global maritime events, Martin is passionate about bridging the gap between maritime operations and digital innovation, enabling smarter and more sustainable solutions for the shipping industry.
Solution Expert: Bunkers
ZeroNorth
Fredrik Sentow serves as Solutions Expert for Bunkers at ZeroNorth, helping shipowners and charterers optimise marine fuel procurement while navigating evolving environmental regulations.
His career spans extensive commercial management and chartering operations in major shipping hubs, including key leadership roles at Incremental Maritime, GAC Group, and MOL Chemical Tankers, in Europe and the Middle East.
Educated at Copenhagen Business School, the Danish Shipping Academy, and The University of Western Australia, Frederik bridges traditional market execution with advanced digital analytics.
ARACON 2026 will conclude with its usual Leadership Panel, which enables industry leaders to have their say and is also an opportunity for delegates to pose their questions and share their perspectives. Always a valuable, engaging and sometimes surprising discussion, this year’s Panel will consider what needs to change in the bunker industry and why.
Moderator:
Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, CEO & Founder, ship.energy Ltd
Speakers:
Hans Staal, Fuel Supply Director Bunkering – Shipping Solutions, DP World Shipping Solutions
Chris Turner, Technical Manager, Integr8 Fuels
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.
Fuel Supply Director
DP World Shipping Solutions
Hans Staal is Fuel Supply Director at DP World Shipping Solutions, where he leads fuel procurement, supply strategy, fuel risk management, and activities at the intersection of voluntary carbon markets and compliance-linked decarbonization mechanisms. With more than two decades of experience in marine fuels and energy markets, he has held senior roles across fuel procurement, sales, trading, and physical supply operations, providing him with a broad perspective on the marine fuel value chain. His current work focuses on translating the shipping energy transition into practical, commercially viable decarbonization solutions for DP World, including emission-reduction offerings supported by advanced biofuels, bio-methanol, and other low-carbon fuels.
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.
