Agenda 2025

08:15 Registration and welcome coffee

Digitalisation

What does "maturity" look like in maritime digital technology implementations - and are we getting there?
What are the most interesting new technology developments - LEO satellites, web based software, managing shipboard software remotely

09:00 - Digital Ship introduction

Karl Jeffery, Founding Editor, Digital Ship

09:05 - Smart data for smart growth

Alena K Pedersen, VP Corporate IT and Digitalisation, Odfjell

Bio: Alena Pedersen is heading corporate IT and digitalization at Odfjell SE to enable safe, sustainable and efficient deep-sea shipping and terminals. Prior she worked at Equinor/Statoil, latest as Head of the Corporate Improvement Centre. Alena has extended experience with leading transformation of supply chain business, including Offshore logistics: maritime-, air- and supply base operations.

Talk overview

With digitalisation of both ships and shore, the challenge isn’t anymore how to collect more data — it’s knowing how to steer with it
How maritime leaders can harness data as a compass, navigating through overload, to unlock real value by insight, not just information

09:20 - AI what to build and what to buy

Tore Lybekk, Head of IT, Torvald Klaveness

Bio: Tore Lybekk is Vice President and Head of IT at Torvald Klaveness, a leading shipping company based in Oslo. With an extensive background in IT management, Tore has held key positions at companies such as Neptune Energy, VNG Norge AS, and Endeavour Energy Norge AS. His expertise encompasses IT operations, cybersecurity, and digital transformation within the maritime sector.

He also chaired EPIM (Exploration & Production Information Management Association) for four years, where he led efforts to provide industry solutions for the Norwegian oil and gas sector. EPIM was a collaboration between oil companies on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, demonstrating the power of joint industry efforts to solve complex challenges. EPIM is now organized under Offshore Norge as Collabor8. Tore remains a strong advocate for cross-industry collaboration to tackle deep and systemic challenges.

09:35 - 10:05 Panel discussion - What does "maturity" look like in maritime digital technology implementations - and are we getting there?

Moderator:

Alena K Pedersen, VP Corporate IT and Digitalisation, Odfjell

Panellist:

Tore Lybekk, Head of IT, Torvald Klaveness

Are Andersen, Maritime ICT Manager, Westfal-Larsen Management AS

Bio: Are has 27 years of experience from IT in the maritime industry, 20 years from management level. He is enjoying the close cooperation with all Westfal-Larsen’s maritime business unites to ensure delivery of modern and cost-effective IT and communications services both onboard and ashore.

Paal Lohne, VP Digital, Grieg Star AS

Bio: Paal is passionate about how technology can help reshape the maritime industry, and he challenges conventional approaches to digital maturity — arguing that true future-proofing demands bringing the agile, iterative mindset of "build and learn" from digital sectors into the shipping industry’s "built to last" operational resilience. In this presentation, Paal shares his reflection on how merging these mindsets is essential to create a future where we have a thriving digital transformation in shipping.

10:05 - 10:35 Coffee break and networking

10:35 - Resilient by Design: OneWeb and the New Era of resilient Satellite Connectivity

Stephen Conley, Senior Director, Commercial Management, Eutelsat

Bio: Stephen is responsible for Eutelsat Oneweb’s end-to-end offering for Maritime & Aviation markets, maximising the value generated from resources and investing to find best product and feature enhancements tailored to the mobility use case, ensuring market and customer requirements are translated into a seamless user experience.

Stephen joined Eutelsat Group in 2022, bringing expertise in satellite connectivity services acquired through a blend of technical and business roles. His experience spans network operations, sales engineering, capacity procurement, satellite capacity optimisation, yield management, product management, and business development for leading service providers and satellite operators worldwide.

Stephen has worked in various locations including Paris, Luxembourg, Miami, Washington DC, The Hague, London, and Aberdeen and currently based in France with a global remit. Stephen holds an Honours degree in Telecoms Engineering from Glasgow University and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from The Hague University.

Talk overview

OneWeb is here—delivering resilient, low-latency connectivity that complements GEO networks for true global coverage.
This talk highlights how OneWeb’s LEO constellation is operational, ready, and built to strengthen hybrid satellite connectivity architectures for all maritime and offshore necessities.

10:55 Bringing clarity and control to maritime finance with explainable AI

Jan Erik Gausdal, Sales Director, Eye-share

Bio: Leading global sales at Eye-share, Jan Erik Gausdal is responsible for bringing the company’s software portfolio for AP automation and digital workflows to markets worldwide. With over 15 years of experience in IT and software sales, including several years as a senior advisor, he combines deep product expertise with a strong focus on customer value. Passionate about the potential of AI, Jan Erik helps organisations explore how intelligent automation can drive efficiency, strengthen financial control, and support smarter decision-making.

Talk overview

Jan Erik will explore how explainable AI (XAI) is advancing accounts payable processes by delivering greater transparency, trust, and tangible efficiency gains
Discover why visibility and control are vital to successful maritime AP, and how finance teams can adopt AI they truly understand and trust

Digitalisation

11:15 - Digitalisation project highlights

Are Andersen, Maritime ICT Manager, Westfal-Larsen Management AS

11:30 - Built to Last — or Built to Break? Rethinking digital maturity to Future Proof Shipping

Paal Lohne, VP Digital, Grieg Star AS

Talk overview

The different mindsets of building a ship to last needs to merge with the digital “fail fast and learn” mindset to be Future Proof and succeed within digital transformation
Are we mature enough to embrace these two mindsets within our organizations, and are the suppliers of systems to the maritime industry tuned in on what we actually need?
We talk a lot about and say “it’s all about the people”, but what does this actually mean in practice?
Are we able to keep our “user in the centre” when building, buying or using new software and digital tools?

11:45 - How STAR Automates and Secures Vessel Upgrades, Even Without Internet

John Inge Røtting, CCO, Star Information Systems

Talk overview

In an industry where manual follow-up and local updates are still the norm, STAR is leaping forward. We've developed a solution that takes full responsibility for automatically upgrading our customers’ vessels. This happens even if the ship has local installations and limited or no internet access.
With our technology, vessels are upgraded as if they were on land, through a secure setup that only allows outbound communication from ship to shore.
This not only simplifies operations but also significantly strengthens cybersecurity. STAR now offers all the benefits of a complete SaaS model, while continuing to adapt to maritime realities through onboard installations. That means less admin, reduced risk, and always up-to-date software, without the shipowner having to lift a finger.

12:05 - Joint presentation - Future-Proofing Your Fleet: How the right intelligent edge platform can bring greater visibility, control, and automation to your remote sites

Erik Nordmark, Chief Technology Officer, ZEDEDA

Bio: Erik is a co-founder and the CTO at ZEDEDA, and he is an expert on architecting and implementing secure large scale software systems. Prior to co-founding ZEDEDA he was developing software at Arista Networks, architecting the evolution of core software as a Cisco Distinguished Engineer, and earlier had a long and varied career as a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems. Erik has been driving Internet standardization and architecture in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and on the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), seeing the evolution of IoT protocols and the potential security impact on the Internet as a whole.

Anastasis Gryponisiotis, Vice President of Software Engineering, Speedcast

Bio: Anastasis Gryponisiotis serves as Vice President of Software Engineering at Speedcast, where he leads a department of more than 30 software and DevOps engineers responsible for designing and delivering scalable and secure critical infrastructure and products. Anastasis provides vision and technical direction for Speedcast’s software engineering organization across different products, including the company’s anchor network management platform, SIGMA, of which he was a founding developer. With more than 20 years of experience, Anastasis’s career spans across multiple sectors, with a focus on the commercial maritime industry. He is an experienced Linux engineer with an extensive background in network and systems architecture, and a passion for leadership, mentoring, and innovation. He studied Biochemistry at Northumbria University and is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Solutions Architect.

Talk overview

How to get application layer reliability for your critical application and 100% uptime connectivity service with the right edge device platform
Solutions for edge infrastructure orchestration needs in resource-constrained maritime environments
Deploying and scaling connectivity services within your fleet
Navigating challenges of deployment and management across large fleets and on-shore facilities

12:25 - The AI CCTV Landscape: Reducing Accidents and Increasing Vessel Availability

Kevin Brun, Senior Director of Business Development, ShipIn Systems

Bio: Kevin Brunn brings extensive experience in the digital space in the maritime industry, helping ship owners and ship managers orchestrate their digital transformation for the past 17 years. As Senior Director of Sales at ShipIn Systems, he works closely with clients in reshaping their digitalisation initiatives through innovative AI technology application onboard to increase safety, security and reliability of operations. Prior to joining ShipIn, Kevin worked for 13 years with DNV / GL in the Digital Solutions business area.

Talk overview

An in-depth look at the evolving AI CCTV landscape and its transformative impact on the maritime industry
We'll explore how AI-powered surveillance technologies are being leveraged to dramatically reduce accidents, enhance situational awareness, and ensure higher vessel availability
From real-time risk detection to predictive maintenance insights, discover how these intelligent systems are redefining safety protocols and operational performance at sea

12:45 - 13:45 Lunch and networking break

13:45 - 14:15 Panel discussion - What are the most interesting new technology developments - LEO satellites, web based software, managing shipboard software remotely

Moderator:

Nakul Malhotra, Vice President, Wilhelmsen

Bio: With an industry involvement over 30 years, Nakul combines a wealth of international maritime commercial, operations and management experience, with qualifications in marine engineering, business management and direct seafaring experience. As Vice President for Wilhelmsen's Emerging Opportunities Portfolio, he is deeply engaged in the company’s corporate venturing endeavours across the venturing spectrum. This includes internal venture building, external innovation partnerships and venture capital investments in early-stage maritime startups. I am an avid proponent of bridging industry domain expertise with new age technology capabilities.

Panellist:

Christopher Knoderer, Sales Manager Europe and Americas, BASSnet

Bio: Christopher Knoderer is a seasoned Project Manager who began his career at BASS Software in 2015. Today, he serves as the company's Sales Manager for Europe and the Americas, and he plays a key role in driving product innovation. Before graduating with a degree in Navigation, Shipping, and Logistics from the Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, Christopher spent three years sailing, gaining hands-on maritime experience. He later expanded his IT expertise by earning a second degree in Business Informatics from the University of Wismar.

Fabian Fussek, Co-Founder & CEO, Kaiko Systems

Bio: Fabian Fussek is the Co-Founder & CEO of Kaiko Systems, an AI-powered frontline intelligence provider for maritime. Since founding the company in October 2020, he has been driving innovation to make the industry safer, smarter, and more collaborative.By enabling shipping companies to turn frontline work into actionable intelligence, Kaiko Systems helps operators enhance safety, streamline compliance, and optimize maintenance. Today, the platform is used by thousands of seafarers on over 1,000 vessels worldwide, preventing costly failures and regulatory penalties.

Decarbonisation

What are the best ways to use digital technology to better manage vessel performance / decarbonisation?

14:15-14:45 Panel discussion - Decarbonisation

Moderator:

Risto-Juhani Kariranta, Founder, Ahti Consultancy

Bio: Risto-Juhani Kariranta runs his own consultancy Ahti Consulting where he works on handpicked consulting assignments. Until July 2023, he has been a shipping performance manager with Neste, the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel and renewable feedstocks. He is one of the most interesting bloggers on ship performance on LinkedIn.

Panellist:

Henning Rebnord, Principal Engineer, Grieg Star AS

Bio: Henning specialises in Technology & Decarbonisation at Grieg Star, based in Bergen, Norway. With a Master's degree in Industrial Asset Management from the University of Stavanger, he brings over a decade of experience in maritime technical management. Henning is recognised for his leadership in decarbonisation initiatives, overseeing projects in vessel performance optimisation and regulatory compliance. His career spans roles in ESG management and technical superintendency, contributing significantly to sustainable shipping practices and digital transformation within the industry.

Aristos Philis, Director & Deputy CEO, Lemissoler Navigation Co. Ltd

Bio: Aristos focuses on the company’s strategic development and sustainability efforts. Based in Limassol, he works on advancing green shipping solutions and ensuring Lemissoler remains at the forefront of efficient and responsible maritime operations.

He holds a BSc (Hons) in Economics & Statistics from University College London (UCL) and an MSc in Shipping, Trade & Finance with Distinction from Bayes Business School. He began his career at Barclays Investment Bank in London, working in Risk & Analytics, before joining his family’s shipowning group, Lemissoler Navigation, in 2017.

In 2020, Aristos co-founded KeelX, a company that develops AI technology for the shipping industry. He leads KeelX as CEO while continuing his work at Lemissoler, ensuring both companies drive innovation and efficiency in the maritime sector. He has been recognized with awards, including the YoungShip Cyprus Young Leader Award (2021) and the CCCI Young Entrepreneurship Award in Shipping Enterprises (2023).

Geir Terje Nevoy, Senior Project Manager New building and Technology, Wilhelmsen

Bio: Nevoy focuses on developing Bestship (Bestship) as a company. He has a high focus working on available vessel data and on digitalisation from a ship managers perspective. Prior to joining WSM he worked with inovation & product development for 15 years in Maritime, Aqua culture and Oil&Gas.

Rudi Vander Eyken, Senior Advisor Technology, Pathways

Bio: With over 25 years of senior IT management experience in leading maritime organisations, Rudi decided to join Pathways and help C-level in different Maritime organisations with the implementation of their process improvement projects and digital strategy. Business optimisation and innovation is needed by all Maritime organisations, not only to remain competitive or support your companies' growth, it also is today the priority one requirement for young talents to join any organisation. Assisting CEO’s with their digital strategy is exactly what i would love to do. Being a trustworthy sparring partner during the implementation of (complex) systems or data platforms, any type of innovation which delivers an efficient organisation, a clear cost saving and return on investment.

14:45 - Installing and using vessel performance monitoring sensors

Erik van Ballegooijen, Director R&D, VAF Instruments

Bio: Erik van Ballegooijen, Director R&D of VAF Instruments, is responsible for VAF solution, sensor and software development, and for providing customer consultancy on ship propulsion performance. Latest development project is the VAF high frequent data collection solution IVY, covering the ships propulsion performance. Van Ballegooijen holds 2 Master degrees in Engineering. After graduation he worked at Wärtsilä Propulsion, started as a ship propeller designer (hydrodynamicist), and later headed several operational engineering, project management and R&D departments. Since 2015 he is the Director R&D of VAF Instruments and part of the VAF management team.

Talk overview

Sensors relating to vessel performance monitoring – fuel, thrust, power, wind, speed, emissions
How to make the choice of sensors to install onboard – various level of monitoring detail
Benefits of high frequency data collection
The best ways to collect sensor data and send to cloud services
How shipboard sensor data can be used, including directly for onboard diagnostics or at the office

15:05 - Maritime SaaS is not dying, it is evolving

Aristos Philis, Director & Deputy CEO, Lemissoler Navigation Co. Ltd

Cybersecurity

What are the biggest cybersecurity threats to shipping today, and how is the threat picture changing?

15:20 - A NORMA Cyber live demonstration of how phishing works

Øyvind Berget, Chief Technology Officer, Nordic Maritime Cyber Resilience Centre (NORMA Cyber)

Bio: Øyvind has more than a decade in the Norwegian Armed Forces working with data analytics and information security. Before joining NORMA Cyber, Øyvind worked at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for three years where he led projects involving digitalisation and AI. At NORMA Cyber, the role of CTO has been to use new technology for cyber security.

15:35 - Cyber attacks on space systems (satellite communications) affecting the maritime arena

Georgios Mantzouris, Ulysses (former CEO of the Hellenic Space Agency)

Bio: Giorgos Mantzouris was a commander and captain in the Hellenic Navy for 30 years, including a role as Head of Transformation and Experimentation Officer in NATO Maritime Security Center, Head of C4I and Satellite Comms in Hellenic Navy, CEO of the Hellenic Space Agency, and Senior Advisor to Minister of National Defence and Minister of Digital Governance of Greece. He has a PHD in picosatellite communications in maritime security.

Talk overview

During the talk some real world takeaways / suggestions will be presented to the audience regarding Cyberattacks on space systems affecting maritime arena.

15:50 - 16:20 Panel discussion - The biggest cybersecurity threats and the best practises in managing them

Moderator:

Lars Benjamin Vold, Managing Director, Nordic Maritime Cyber Resilience Centre (NORMA Cyber)

Bio: Lars serves as the Managing Director of the Nordic Maritime Cyber Resilience Centre (NORMA Cyber), and he was also the project lead during the establishment phase of the centre. Lars has 10 years' experience with the Norwegian Armed Forces most of which he spent in the Special Forces branch. He has a BsC in Finance and several years of experience working with security and contingency preparedness, digital development and cyber security.

Panellist:

Georgios Mantzouris, Ulysses (former CEO of the Hellenic Space Agency)

Arne Sorensen, Senior IT Manager, OSM Thome

Bio: Arne Sørensen is Senior IT Manager at OSM Thome, responsible for managing Vessel IT globally. Based in Arendal, he oversees the delivery of secure vessel IT networks and communication systems across the fleet. With 29 years of experience in office and vessel IT at companies including Rasmussen Maritime Service, Bergshav Management AS, and now OSM Thome, he leads a global team supporting the company’s ship management operations. OSM Thome is a leading provider of ship management, crew management, and marine services for all vessel types.

16:20 - End of conference