Why are you going to Posidonia - and what do you want to get out of it personally?
The main thing that comes to mind for me when I think about heading to Posidonia is getting the zero-harm message that we wholeheartedly believe in at RightShip out into the Greek community.
We have long, strong relationships with many of the ship owners who’ll be at Posidonia 2022. There’s such a rich maritime history there, and I’ve read a lot about the Greek environment, but this will be a chance for me to get out there and really live it. We need to knock on doors and introduce ourselves, particularly given the two years’ lost to the pandemic.
At any shipping conference there’s always an afterparty and of course we’re looking forward to that too – really getting to know people and taking honest feedback on our products.
What do you see as the key topics within your area that you think people will be discussing?
I’m looking forward to speaking at an event hosted by Maritime London and the Society of Maritime Industries on Tuesday 7 June, 11-12:30, Seminar room B, alongside some fantastic colleagues from the maritime world. The topic is ‘addressing safety concerns on the road to net-zero shipping’.
At RightShip we’ve been at the forefront of pressing for managers, owners and charterers to go above and beyond in promoting safety and compliance onboard ships and we recognise that the new fuels necessary for decarbonisation bring new ways of working.
We cannot ignore the ‘people aspect’ of the energy transition, and part of that is around risk management - there are no second chances when it comes to safety. New fuels and technologies, like green ammonia and green hydrogen, for example, present a host of new risks for seafarers in terms of how the fuels are managed, stored and transferred.
Our vettings and inspections processes - which lead to the Safety Scores that we award - are directly linked to how well a vessel can demonstrate a commitment to showing that the right safety training and knowledge is in place, both for day-to-day management and in the event of an incident. Our newly launched crew welfare self-assessment also backs up this idea, working on the premise that if crew are not happy and well-looked after, then they are more likely to make mistakes, that put themselves or others in danger. All of this connects together as one holistic ‘environmental social governance’ picture.
What are your hopes for the future?
When I return to Posidonia in two, or four, years’ time I’d envision that we will be collectively talking about implemented sustainability best practice, forging stronger value-adding partnerships, and going beyond addressing welfare gaps for the seafarer. Quite possibly we’ll already be celebrating milestones in welfare and safety, and building onto talent development, diversity, digital enhancements of the seafarer role - a more mature conversation building on top of our current foundations in welfare.
But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - we can’t do this alone. We are happy to work in partnership with others in industry, sharing access to data and technologies and taking a synergistic approach. For example our new partnership with Shipfix gets the Safety Score out there at an early stage, helping charterers to think about the vessels that they use for their cargo. And Nxtport speaks to the ports and terminals market. There are so many other spaces where we’re really open to dialogue.
Where can people come and meet you at Posidonia?
We will be in Exhibition Hall 2, stand 2.214.
You can’t miss us, look out for the RightShip banners above our stand. I look forward to meeting as many maritime colleagues during the event as possible.
More about Gurpreet
Gurpreet Singh brings more than 13 years of maritime experience to his role as RightShip’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Formerly Regional Marketing Manager at Shell Marine, and previously at AP Moller-Maersk, Gurpreet holds an MBA from INSEAD and has extensive experience in commercial, business development, digital venture and operational roles.
Having worked extensively in change management innovation, Gurpreet has overseen the introduction of new technologies to refine traditional operations, e.g. use of aerial drones for refinery inspections and delivered holistic commercial solutions for the entire maritime ecosystem. He is passionate about onshore and offshore diversity.
As CCO, Gurpreet is responsible for driving a key component of RightShip’s evolution through his expertise in using data to create business efficiencies, bringing regional commercial teams together to bolster and scale sales and marketing efforts, and ensure that we keep our customers at the heart of all that we do.
While Gurpreet’s commercial acumen is invaluable, it’s his curiosity for customer satisfaction and long-term relationship building that enables him to give customers across all segments the solutions they need to enhance maritime safety, lead in environmental sustainability and protect essential workers.