Speakers
Shaun White
Dr Capt. Ashraf Ragab
Mao Tze Bayotas
Dwitya Waskito
Session Five: Human element and skills gap
Shaun White heads Foreship UK, a subsidiary of the Finnish naval architecture, marine engineering, and project management services specialist for shipbuilding, conversion, and refurbishment, Foreship Ltd.
Shaun has held several leading positions during his long career in the Maritime Industry, focusing on the issues that have become pivotal for the future of shipping, including alternative fuels, electrification, hybrid solutions, and energy infrastructure systems.
He is deeply committed to leveraging his expertise from the commercial shipping, cruise, passenger, and defense sectors to establish strategic industry partnerships, deliver pioneering solutions, overcome industry challenges, and advance the sustainable shipping technologies of tomorrow.
Dr. Capt. Ashraf Ragab is an Associate Professor of Maritime Transport at Sharjah Maritime Academy (SMA), UAE, where he specialises in maritime education, regulatory frameworks, and sustainability transitions. He is a licensed German Master Mariner Unlimited with extensive seafaring and academic experience across Europe and the Gulf region.
Dr. Ragab earned his Ph.D. in Nautical Sciences from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and holds an M.Sc. in International Maritime Management from Jade University of Applied Sciences, Germany. His professional portfolio includes roles as lecturer, maritime consultant, and evacuation systems researcher under EU-funded projects such as PALAEMON.
His research focuses on the integration of human-centred design into maritime education, safety management, and green transition strategies. He is particularly passionate about bridging the operational and academic aspects of the maritime industry, and his work often intersects with regulatory reform, MET curriculum innovation, and port readiness in the context of decarbonisation.
Engr. Mao Tze Bayotas is the current acting program head of the BSMARE/BSMEET program of the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific, and is also the project lead of the Center for Green Seafaring Initiative. He has a master’s degree from the World Maritime University, specializing in maritime energy management, and he has completed his undergraduate degree at MAAP. He had experience in various aspects of the maritime industry from being an intern in the International Maritime Organization to ship management to maritime journalism and being a second engineer officer onboard ship. He is also active academically, having presented various scientific studies and published them at international and local conferences and journals. He is also the ITF Youth Representative, representing the Philippines in the previous COP and various international roundtables and discussions regarding seafarers' welfare. In pursuing his advocacy of quality maritime education and training, he is also the founder of Seafarer Youth United Philippines and The Millennial Seafarers.
He is a researcher at the Maritime Human Factors Centre with a background in Naval Architecture and professional experience as a safety officer on a research vessel. His research focuses on risk analysis and safety assessment of maritime operations, particularly through the application of novel hazard identification methods that advance beyond traditional risk analysis approaches. These methods aim to support risk quantification and the development of effective risk control strategies. He is currently pursuing a PhD, where his work explores the integration of system theory and human reliability analysis to enhance the safety of maritime decarbonisation operations.
Dr. Thomas Beard is a chartered engineer and the clean maritime lead at BMT. He has a PhD in Hydrogen Safety from Loughborough University and has over a decade of experience in alternative fuels. He is a member of several industry working groups and academic advisory boards. He has published and presented numerous papers on the topic of alternative fuels for maritime and naval platforms.