Ethics in the Maritime Industry

Claudene Sharp-Patel CMarTech FIMarEST

Global Technical Director, Marine and Offshore, Lloyds Register

Claudene joined the marine industry over 30 years ago, having wide experience in maritime, shipping, salvage/MCI, upstream oil and Gas, and wind installation/MWS, Terminal operations, assurance and Oil and Gas/renewable industries in various roles and senior management positions. Claudene started her career as a sea-going Marine Engineering with BHP on dry-bulk carriers, ROROs, Container Vessels and Chemical tankers, transferring onto Oil and LNG vessels with Shell UK and primarily with BP Shipping. However, never one to stop during leave periods continued building experience on General cargo vessels and passenger ships.  Although holding a Bachelor of Technology (Marine Engineering) and Combined Chief Engineer (Motor and Steam), Claudene continued studying obtaining an MBA in Maritime Law and Logistics Management. 

Although Claudene’s background is technical, her training in her shore career in Shipping companies and energy companies support the understanding of shipping, terminal operations/activities and marine activities, has assisted seeing these operations holistically and impactfully.  Claudene’s more recent roles as Global Technical Director Lloyd’s Register, and Shell Australia Prelude (Prelude Marine Terminal Coordinator) further adds to her understanding of current Marine and Offshore roles, activities and operations.  Claudene’s current role as Global Technical Director for Lloyds Register allows an input in the strategy and technical requirements for the industry both legislated or required through IMO/IACS and supporting customers and the industry find safe technical solutions within Decarbonisation, Digitalisation, Marine safety assurance and Offshore Safety Assurance.

Claudene was previously a registered consultant to IMO, and has been continuously active within OCIMF in several groups/working groups including Representative at GPC, Vice Chairman of OCIMF Technical Group, and member of SIRE Focus Group.  These experiences bringing a wide understanding of incidents, consequences, legislation, regulations and implementation. Claudene is a Fellow of IMarEST and served for 6 years as Vice President and culminating as Vice Chair of Technical Leadership Board of IMarEST and is currently the President Elect IMarEST

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Sam Bird CEng Bsc MRINA

Head of Technology, Cairn Risk Consulting Ltd

Sam is a chartered engineer with 12 years' experience within mechanical and maritime engineering in the OEM, consultancy and regulatory environments. 

A broad and varied career has allowed sam to gain a hollistic view of engineering and risk management having delivered projects on both ship and shore-based installations including large scale ship design and optimisation for operation along with safety assessments of industrial shore-side installations, bespoke mechanical devlopments and high-risk procedural operations.

Sams career transitioned to a speciality in design focused safety in 2020, after 7 years delivering engineering projects in the commercial and defence maritime sectors, utilising his skills in engineering design to help clients successfully protect their staff and the public effectively via proactive design considerations. Currently applying this to ever-developing renewables industry, balancing management of risk with promoting innovation is the core aim.

Sam joined Cairn Risk in January 2023 bringing with him a decade's experience in project delivery and an astute ability to problem solve to help constructors and innovators transform the energy landscape via a safe and pragmatic approach.

 

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Alan Crowle FIMarEST

Naval Architect, University of Exeter

Alan Crowle is a naval architect studying for a Master of Philosophy at the University of Exeter. The focus of the research is on the load-out, fit-out, tow-out, and installation of floating offshore wind turbines and floating substations.

He has 55 years of marine engineering experience in the design, construction, and offshore installation of marine structures for renewable energy, oil and gas, and LNG terminals. He is a fellow of IMarEST, RINA, and the Society of Consulting Marine Engineers and Ship Surveyors and a member of the Energy Institute.

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Cdr Edward Higgins MBE CEng FIMarEST MIET MWES RN

Royal Navy

Cdr Ed Higgins RN joined the Service after reading degrees in Mechanical and Marine Engineering at the University of Southampton as a sponsored undergraduate. On completion of nuclear training, he was assigned to HMS Victorious as Assistant Marine Engineer Officer (AMEO) and completed two Deterrent Patrols. Shore assignments to the Defence School of Marine Engineering and to Submarine Flotilla followed before a return to sea as Deputy Marine Engineer Officer (DMEO). Competing four years in HMS Vigilant as DMEO and MEO, he undertook two WESTLANT Deployments, two deterrent Patrols and a 15-month commission extension docking maintenance period. For his contribution to an 8-month Covid-19 isolated combined WESTLANT deployment and Patrol, he was appointed MBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List. Following a short period in Navy Command HQ as Fleet Upkeep Officer, he volunteered for a return to Professional Command as MEO HMS Vanguard. In this role he delivered the final 14 months of re-fit commissioning activities, including reactor Power Range Testing, before undertaking sea trials and a DASO deployment. He promoted to Commander on assignment to HMS Dreadnought in April 2024. A Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST), he has been a member of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) for several years and is the current Lead Male Ally of the Naval Servicewomens Network (NSN). Living near Portsmouth with his wife Heather and son Jonathan (12), he enjoys offshore sailing, owning a collection of unreliable cars and long-distance running.

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Thuladu Mazibuko

Maritime Professional

Thuladu Mazibuko is a maritime professional with years of experience. Her career began at the Durban University of Technology and the South African Navy, before recently earning a Master of Science in Maritime Operations and Management from City St George’s, University of London. Driven by a deep interest in research, environmental aspects, and technological innovation amid the global energy transition, she is committed to protecting and conserving the marine environment while advancing sustainable business practices. She believes in constantly finding strategies to deliver impactful service and leading with purpose to build a better future. Beyond her maritime career, she is passionate about empowering the youth, particularly girls and women. She further enjoys volunteering, leisure walks, time with family, and traveling.

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Lizzie McCaig

Team Lead Rule Development, Lloyd's Register

Lizzie has extensive experience in structural rule development, regulatory implementation, and ship design appraisal. Her work spans key technical areas including loads for ships and special service craft, structural integrity, additive manufacturing, and goal‑based standards, alongside active participation in international regulatory forums. Over her career at Lloyd’s Register, she has contributed to a broad range of projects covering ship structures, safety and regulatory updates, and engineering assessments, and has previously served as Technical Secretary to the IACS Hull Panel. Her perspective centres on how regulatory frameworks shape design decisions, particularly where gaps, interpretation, and accountability place increasing ethical responsibility on designers.

Captain Marion Penales

Maritime Lecturer, Sharjah Maritime Academy

Captain Marion Penales is a maritime lecturer at the Sharjah Maritime Academy with combined seagoing and academic experience. His interests focus on ethics in maritime education, leadership, and bridging the gap between regulatory compliance and real-world shipboard practice

Captain Ann Pletschke CMarTech FIMarEST

STEER Project Manager, The Nautical Institute

Capt. Ann Pletschke CMarTech FIMarEST has over 25 years’ experience across both seagoing and shore-based maritime leadership roles. Her career has included command of modern, highly automated DP vessels, alongside senior positions responsible for marine standards and contributions to autonomous shipping development.

She is currently the Project Lead for the STEER Project, a Lloyd’s Register Foundation- funded initiative delivered by The Nautical Institute, examining the impact of emerging and existing technologies on seafarers, with a focus on human performance, safety and wellbeing.

Capt. Pletschke brings a unique combination of operational credibility and research expertise, underpinned by recent command experience. Her academic work includes research into the potential impacts of remote vessel operation on diversity and accessibility within the maritime workforce, undertaken as part of her Master of Engineering degree completed in 2024.

She has investigated multiple serious marine incidents, including fatalities, as part of her role as a Designated Person Ashore and marine consultant. Since 2013, she has led her own marine surveying and consultancy business, working across vessels spanning a wide spectrum of technological maturity, from highly advanced, data-driven operations to more low-tech vessels. This breadth of experience offers insight into disparities in technology access and implementation, as well as the varying conditions under which seafarers operate. Her involvement in maritime charitable work further highlights how technological advancement is not always applied equitably or with consistent consideration of seafarer wellbeing

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Dr Andrew Rawson PhD BA (Hons) CEng CMarEng FRGS MIMarEST

Associate Director, NASH Maritime

Andrew is a maritime consultant and chartered engineer with 15 years experience, specialising in data analysis, modelling and navigation risk assessment. He has delivered a multitude of projects for developers, ports and governments as a project manager or technical lead. His specialism lies in developing and applying innovative quantitative methods to measure the risk of maritime accidents and predict the impact of developments such as offshore renewables. Andrew has an extensive track record in authoring Navigation Risk Assessments (NRAs), EIA technical chapters, quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) and providing specialist technical advice to clients throughout the project lifecycle. Andrew has led the development of scientific approaches to navigation risk, with numerous peer-reviewed academic publications in high impact journals. In 2022, Andrew was awarded a PhD from University of Southampton investigating the use of machine learning and big data to support maritime risk assessment. In 2023, Andrew acted as Chair of the Technical Committee at the European, Safety and Reliability Conference (ESREL).

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Dr Marcelo Rodrigues MIMarEST

Senior Scientist, Brookes Bell

Marcelo advises on scientific aspects of maritime shipping claims involving hull fouling and the carriage of cargoes at sea.  As a biofouling scientist, he has been extensively involved in incidences of hull fouling on ships' hulls and has conducted investigations into the origins, causes, extent of hull-fouling, and how this affects the antifouling coating and speed & performance of ships.  He attends onboard vessels worldwide, has advised clients in a number of legal cases, and has given evidence as an expert in High Court Proceedings in London and in Arbitrations under various jurisdictions.

On attaining his PhD in biological sciences, he conducted academic research for six years at the postdoctoral level, focusing on how invertebrate animals establish bonding underwater.  His career as an academic researcher involved multi-disciplinary marine science, molecular biology, and biochemistry projects, and he also completed expeditions onboard oceanographic research vessels.

: https://www.brookesbell.com/about-us/the-team/team-member/marcelo-rodrigues/

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Harriet Rushton

SALMO Wrecks Environmental Manager, UK MOD

Harriet is a marine biologist by trade, whose worked for MOD since 2018, in various environmental management roles. She now forms half of the SALMO Wrecks team managing the environmental risk posed by the MOD’s inventory of over 5,700 Potentially Polluting Wrecks around the world.

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Alexander Vassiliadis MNI MRIN

Maritime Lecturer

Alexander Vassiliadis has 20 years of experience in the maritime sector and 12 years of experience in the aviation sector.

His seagoing career started on container ships and bulk carriers before he moved to the cruise ship sector, where he worked his way up the ranks of Chief Officer. After leaving the ships, he underwent training to become a Commercial Pilot in 2014, at the same time he qualified to become a human factors instructor. Since 2015, Alexander is working in a variety of instructor and leadership roles in the wider training field, the last of which cover the position of Training Manager and Senior Lecturer.

Alexander holds the degree of Graduate Engineer in Nautical Science from the University of Applied Science in Elsfleth (Germany) in addition to his Certificate of Competency as Chief Officer and his Commercial Pilot License. Presently, he is studying to obtain his MSc. in Maritime Education and Training at Southampton Solent University. He is a qualified Simulator Assessor and a Member of The Nautical Institute and The Royal Institute of Navigation.

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