03 February - 05 February
Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, UAE
The Middle East Bunkering Convention returns to Dubai in February for more meaningful and informative debate and engagement on the ‘health’ of the marine fuels sector – from both a global and a regional perspective.
MEBC25 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.
Standard Delegate Pass: £650
In this session, speakers will look at shipping’s energy transition from a bunker industry perspective. What is the role of the marine fuel sector in facilitating this transition, what might a global and regional bunker supply infrastructure look like in the future, and what will be the pivotal role of ports in the fuel supply chain?
Decarbonising the Maritime Industry
Gary Hubbard, SVP, Commercial Operations, The Biofuel Company
Upscaling the LNG Bunkering Infrastructure
Amine El Kadiri, General Manager – GTT Middle East LLC
Dr. Abdullah Sulaiman Al-Abri, Vice President – Sustainability, SOHAR Port and Freezone
Chris Greenwood – Vice President – Survey & Inspection, Inchcape Shipping Services
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 Vice President, Commercial & Operations
The Biofuel Company
Gary Hubbard is the SVP responsible for all Commercial & Operational matters at TBFCo in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2022, they are now the largest producer of European-compliant net zero biofuel in the GCC.
Having worked across the Middle East since 2000, his focus is on providing high quality net zero fuel to the logistics, power generation, FMCG, hospitality, maritime, events and construction industries across within the Kingdom to achieve Saudi Vision 2030.
We was responsible for the first maritime bunkering of biofuel within the UAE in 2020 and has been involved in almost every biofuel bunkering in region, since then.
He specialises in environmental supply chain optimisation and strategic planning, reducing client costs and enhancing their sustainable business operations. His extensive international experience has been gained in the Middle East, North and South America, Asia Pacific, Africa and Europe, holding senior leadership positions for MAERSK, DSV, DHL, Geodis, Hapag Lloyd, Transmar Line & Neutral Fuels.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
General Manager
GTT Middle East LLC
Amine began his career in the nuclear industry with AREVA in 2011. He later spent four years in the Natural Gas and LNG sector at GAZPROM Marketing & Trading as a Key Account Manager.
In 2019, Amine joined GTT as a Business Development Manager, overseeing European countries and India. In December 2023, he was appointed General Manager of GTT Middle East. He subsequently established GTT’s new regional office in Doha in February 2024, where he is responsible for expanding LNG carrier, onshore storage, and LNG as fuel commercial activities.
Amine holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from La Trobe University (Australia) and a Master of Science in Management from NEOMA Business School (France).
Vice President – Sustainability
SOHAR Port and Freezone
Dr. Abdullah Sulaiman Al-Abri is the Vice President for Sustainability at SOHAR Port and Freezone, leading the organization’s sustainability initiatives since May 2024. With a distinguished background as an international consultant in energy, technology, and investment, he has represented Oman at the IEA and OECD, playing a key role in advancing the country’s hydrogen economy and energy transition strategies. At SOHAR, Dr. Abdullah is focused on developing international trade corridors for new energies and clean hydrogen, leveraging his strategic insight and extensive professional network.
Dr. Abdullah holds a Ph.D. in Reservoir Engineering from Curtin University of Technology and has held pivotal roles, including Energy Renewal Director at PDO and Consultant at the IEA. Passionate about mentoring and continuous learning, he is committed to influencing energy trade and policy dialogues while driving sustainable development at SOHAR Port and Freezone.
Commercial Director, Western Europe & Americas
Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore
Chris Greenwood is the Commercial Director for Western Europe & the Americas at Bureau Veritas. Chris spent more than 14 years at ABS in various operational and commercial roles in South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Dubai, after which he was a VP at Inchcape Shipping Services.
In each role, Chris’ focus has been on decarbonisation, safety, technology, and regulatory compliance.
Chris has a Bachelors in Marine Technology, a Masters in Project & Program Management, an Executive MBA, and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
Drawing MEBC 2025 to a close, key players in the shipping and marine fuels industries will look at the ‘health’ of these global businesses. Are we at an inflection point in 2025, what are the lessons to be learned from the past, very eventful decade, and does the role of a leader need to be reevaluated in order for the bunker sector to thrive in the immediate and longer-term? Are there steps that should taken now to futureproof the industry, and what are the skillsets required by those who currently work in the industry as well as by its future workforce?
Maria Skipper Schwenn, Director of Environmental Regulatory Affairs, Group Commercial, Bunker Holding
Harro Booth, Founder & CEO, ElbOil
Fernando Alvarez, Founder, Z-Joule
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.
Director of Environmental Regulatory Affairs, Group Commercial
Bunker Holding
Maria Skipper Schwenn joined Bunker Holding as Director of Environmental Regulatory and Public Affairs in 2023. Her primary tasks include securing Bunker Holding staying ahead of the curve in the transition to a low-carbon maritime industry by keeping track of the regulatory landscape and promoting the priorities of Bunker Holding, the world’s largest maritime fuel supplier. Before joining Bunker Holding Maria worked as Executive Director, Climate, Environment and Security at Danish Shipping for 13 years advocating the interests of Danish shipowners. She served as advisor to the Danish IMO delegation and was a member of ICS Marine Committee and ECSA Safety and Environment Committee. In her current position, Maria chairs the EWABA Maritime Task Force and is member of the board of Danfoss IXA, producer of marine emission monitoring systems. She was elected to IBIA’s Global Board of Directors in April 2024 and is also member of IBIA’s delegation to IMO.
Maria holds a Master’s degree in political science from University of Southern Denmark and a Master’s degree in European Politics and Administration from the College of Europe, Belgium.
Homepage
Founder & CEO
ElbOil
Harro is the founder and CEO of the ElbOil Group a leading mid-sized trader of marine fuel solutions. With over 25 years of experience in the maritime and energy sectors, he has built a reputation for delivering reliable, cost-effective fuel services to shipping companies globally. His entrepreneurial journey began with a small trading operation, which he successfully expanded into a multinational business with a presence in key hubs worldwide.
Harro is passionate about sustainability in the maritime industry and actively explores innovative ways to reduce emissions through cleaner fuel alternatives.
Prior 2011 where he founded ElbOil, Harro worked for several years for O.W. Bunker as Manager in Dubai and Team Leader of the Physical Desk in Hamburg. He also worked for Lukoil and Bominflot. Harro studied International Business Economics in Munich and Hamburg and holds a Master´s degree.
Founder
Z-Joule
Fernando Álvarez is the founder of Z-Joule, a start-up delivering digital solutions to support stakeholders in the maritime fuel transition. Fernando is a seasoned entrepreneur and CTO with over 20 years of experience at the nexus of shipping, innovation, and digitalization. He holds a Ph.D. in Optimization of Maritime Operations and an M.Sc. in Transport Engineering. Fernando has published several peer-reviewed papers on liner network design, port-vessel coordination, and fleet sizing.
Previously, Fernando co-founded BunkerMetric, whose flagship product, BunkerPlanner, was acquired by StormGeo in 2022. He has delivered cutting-edge software and consulting services to global giants like Shell, Cargill, WWL, and Orica.
A thought leader with a unique ‘system optimization’ perspective on the shipping segment, Fernando combines technical expertise with industry insights to shape the future of maritime transport.
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