2023 Port State Control
Thank You for Joining Us During Our
Port State Control Update from Our Global
Inspections Team on 27 April 2023
MEETING AGENDA
10:00 Registration and Welcome Coffee
10:30 Start of Seminar
Opening Remarks
Theo Xenakoudis, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Piraeus Office (Piraeus)
Simon Bonnett, Chief Maritime Officer (London)
An Introduction to the Global Inspections Team
Brian Poskaitis, Senior Vice President, Fleet Operations (Baltimore / Annapolis)
Thomas Bremer, Vice President, Fleet and Quality Compliance (Baltimore / Annapolis)
Mediterranean; Black Sea; and North Africa (Region II B)
- Captain Theodore Lalas, Fleet Operations Manager (Piraeus)
Northern and Eastern Europe; Western Russia; West, Central,
and Southern Africa; and Madagascar (Region II A)
- Gerald Annuss, Deputy Fleet Operations Manager (Hamburg)
- Chris van Tiel, Fleet Operations Manager (Roosendaal)
Middle East Including Red Sea Area and Gulf of Aden; India;
Bangladesh; Sri Lanka; and Pakistan (Region II C)
- Hans Krijger, General Manager (Roosendaal) on behalf of
R. Vinod Kumar, Fleet Operations Manager (Mumbai)
China, the Far East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand (Region I)
- Captain Sascha Dyker, Fleet Operations Manager (Hong Kong)
12:30 Coffee Break
13:00 Seminar Resumes
North America; Guam; and the Hawaiian Islands (Region III A) and
Canada; Central and South America; the Caribbean; and Greenland (Region III B)
- James Maupin, Fleet Operations Manager (Houston)
- Davis Kong, Vice President, Fleet Operations (Ft. Lauderdale)
Question and Answer Session
Theo Xenakoudis, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Piraeus Office (Piraeus)
14:00 – 15:00 Light Lunch
Moderator
THEO XENAKOUDIS
Chief Commercial Officer, Managing Director, Piraeus Office (Piraeus)
Theo Xenakoudis was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer in April 2022. In this role, he supports owners and operators worldwide and focuses on the Registry’s overall growth. He joined IRI’s Piraeus office in 2001 as Business Development Manager after serving in the Greek Navy. In this role, Theo was instrumental in assisting with the promotion of the RMI Maritime and Corporate Registries in the Mediterranean region. In January 2007, Theo was promoted to Managing Director of IRI’s Piraeus office and continued to strengthen IRI’s relationship with the maritime and corporate communities in his marketing territory. He has also expanded the reach of the Piraeus office to include markets in Turkey, Italy, and Monaco while still maintaining a strong relationship with the Greek shipping community. In April 2011, Theo was given the additional responsibility of serving as IRI’s Worldwide Business Operations Officer, and in February 2015 was promoted to Director, Worldwide Business Operations Theo holds a B.S. in Transport and Shipping (Insurance and Maritime Law Pathway) and received his Master of Laws (L.L.M.) in Maritime Law from the Business College of Athens, in association with London Metropolitan University.
Speaker Biographies
GERALD ANNUSS
Deputy Fleet Operations Manager (Hamburg)
Mr. Annuss joined IRI in 2014 as a Safety & Technical Manager in the Hamburg office where he conducted flag State inspections and worked with the worldwide technical team. He was promoted to Deputy Fleet Operations Manager in 2023. Prior to joining IRI, Mr. Annuss spent several years at Rickmers Reederei GmbH & Cie KG, first shoreside as QHSE – Executive, Deputy DPA & CSO, and Internal Auditor before returning to sea. Before and during his time at Rickmers Reederei he sailed as a Nautical Officer and as a Chief Officer. Mr. Annuss holds a Master’s diploma and has more than 20 years of experience as an Instructor and Trainer in the maritime industry. He has studied Nautical Science / Maritime Affairs at the University of Applied Science Leer and Aeronautics and Space Technology at the University of German Forces, Munich.
SIMON BONNETT
Chief Maritime Officer (London)
Mr. Bonnett joined IRI’s London office in April 2010 as Safety & Technical Manager, in January 2018 he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Technical, and then in April 2022 he was promoted to Chief Maritime Officer. In his role as Chief Maritime Officer, he is responsible for oversight of the Maritime Services Group, which supports the RMI Registry’s fleet of more than 5,200 vessels. Prior to joining IRI, Mr. Bonnett was employed by Lloyd’s Register (LR) since 1997 where he contributed in a multitude of roles including ship design and information systems, plan approval of ship structures, surveying of existing and newly constructed vessels, and business development within LR’s Asian market. Mr. Bonnett worked in South Korea for over nine years before moving back to LR’s London office in 2009 as a senior specialist concentrating on business improvement and planning. Mr. Bonnett earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Marine Technology with Honours in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding, from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
THOMAS BREMER
Vice President, Fleet Quality and Compliance (Baltimore / Annapolis)
Mr. Bremer originally joined IRI in May 2013, where he was engaged in ship inspection activities out of the Houston, Texas and New York, New York offices. He subsequently moved on to marine investigations out of the Reston, Virginia office in March 2019 as a Marine Investigator and was promoted to Vice President, Investigations in April 2021. In February 2023, Mr. Bremer was promoted to Vice President, Fleet Quality and Compliance. Mr. Bremer served nearly 10 years in the USCG prior to joining IRI. During his tenure with the USCG, Mr. Bremer was stationed on the USCG Cutter RELIANCE in the Deck Department, at Activities New York in the Port State Control and Investigations Departments, and at Sector Houston-Galveston in the Inspections Department. Mr. Bremer holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the State University of New York.
CAPTAIN SASCHA DYKER
Fleet Operations Manager (Hong Kong)
Captain Sascha Dyker joined IRI in July 2012 as a consultant and became a full-time IRI employee in November 2013 as a Flag State Inspector. Captain Dyker was promoted to Deputy Fleet Operations Manager of the IRI’s Hong Kong office in April 2018. Prior to joining IRI, Captain Dyker was Company Director of Azure Marine Solutions SDN BHD and carried out inspections and surveys. Captain Dyker has sailed as Chief Officer and Master on LPG Carriers for Hartmann Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. Captain Dyker has a degree in Maritime Traffic from the University of Applied Sciences, Oldenburg / Ostfriesland / Wilhelmshaven Institute for Maritime Navigation in Leer, Germany.
HANS KRIJGER
General Manager (Roosendaal)
Mr. Krijger joined IRI in 2004 as a Nautical Inspector, was promoted to Technical Marine Manager in 2007, appointed Fleet Operations Manager in 2009, and General Manager in 2015. For 10 years prior to joining IRI, Mr. Krijger had been working in ship management as a superintendent for Vroon Shipping and later at a dredger company. Mr. Krijger graduated from the Maritime Institute,Vlissingen as a marine engineer and rose to the level of Chief Engineer after sailing a variety of ships including general cargo, tugboats, reefer and passenger ships.
R. VINOD KUMAR
Fleet Operations Manager (Mumbai)
Mr. Kumar joined IRI in 2013 as Safety & Technical Manager and was promoted to Fleet Operations Manager in January 2020. He is actively involved in Fleet Operations, Technical, and Management Systems Certification services providing support to regional ship managers and operators worldwide. Prior to joining IRI, he was employed with the Indian Maritime Administration (Directorate General of Shipping) where he initially handled plan approvals / training institute approvals and the monitoring of Recognized Organizations. He then was made responsible for the International Safety Management (ISM) cell of the Directorate. In this role, he oversaw ISM implementation and compliance onboard Indian flagged vessels and companies. He has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering and subsequently completed his post graduate marine engineering training at the Directorate of Marine Engineering Training Institute. Following his studies, he went to sea in 1994 and has over 14 years’ sea service and sailed predominantly on tankers as a Chief Engineer.
DAVIS KONG
Vice President, Fleet Operations (Ft. Lauderdale)
Mr. Kong joined IRI in 2010 as a Fleet Operations Manager and in August 2022 he was promoted to Vice President, Fleet Operations. Prior to joining IRI Mr. Kong served over 20 years of active duty as an officer in the USCG’s naval engineering field. After his time with the USCG, Mr. Kong entered the private sector as Senior Principal Engineer at General Dynamics Information Technology and, most recently, Senior Reliability Engineer at The McHenry Management Group. Mr. Kong holds a Masters degree in Engineering Management from The George Washington University and a B.S. in Marine Engineering from the USCG Academy.
CAPTAIN THEODORE LALAS
Fleet Operations Manager (Piraeus)
Captain Lalas joined IRI’s Piraeus office in January 2009 as Fleet Operations Manager. Before joining IRI, Mr. Lalas gained experience at sea and also worked for many years for reputable Greek shipping companies. He is a graduate of Galaxidi Maritime Academy and completed his Master’s course at Hellenic Training Center for Further Education for Higher Sea Staff and holds a Captain Class “A” Diploma.
JAMES MAUPIN
Fleet Operations Manager (Houston)
Mr. Maupin joined IRI’s Houston office in March 2012 as Flag State Specialist after serving in the USCG’s Marine Safety and Environmental Protection Branch and was promoted to Deputy Fleet Operations Manager in 2016. As a Port State Control Officer (PSCO), Mr. Maupin has conducted over 400 PSC examinations on foreign freight, tank, and gas ships in the Houston-Galveston-Texas City port complex, the largest petrochemical port in the US. Mr. Maupin received a B.A. in Business Administration from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, and has completed numerous training courses in the field of Environmental Safety Compliance and Foreign Vessel Inspections, including PSC Examiner School held in Yorktown, Virginia.
BRIAN POSKAITIS
Senior Vice President, Fleet Operations (Baltimore / Annapolis)
Mr. Poskaitis is currently the Senior Vice President, Fleet Operations overseeing maritime safety, security, and the environmental compliance of the RMI flag fleet of over 4,800 ships worldwide. He joined IRI in June 2007 after 26 years of active duty service in the USCG. While in the USCG, Mr. Poskaitis was the Chief of Investigations and Analysis where he was responsible for program management and operational oversight of all marine casualty, marine pollution and environmental crimes investigated by the USCG. He also served as the Chief of Strategic Planning and Analysis for the Office of Marine Safety, Security, and Environmental Protection. As the head of Strategic Planning, he directed all strategy improvements and led a multi-agency team in the development of the National Strategy for Maritime Security. In 2005, Mr. Poskaitis was assigned as the Incident Commander for Salvage Operations during Hurricane Katrina, where he led salvage operations directing US Navy and commercial salvors to salvage over 2,000 vessels. His experience includes an emphasis in Operations Management, Risk Management, Strategic Planning, and Incident Management. Mr. Poskaitis has a M.Eng. in Management from The George Washington University, a M.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Maryland and a B.S. from the USCG Academy.
CHRIS VAN TIEL
Fleet Operations Manager (Roosendaal)
Mr. van Tiel joined IRI’s Roosendaal office in April 2018 as a Deputy Fleet Operations Manager, and in January 2021, was promoted to Fleet Operations Manager. He is responsible for supervision of the inspections planning team, liaising with local port State control officials, Classification Societies, and engaging with clients on flag related items. Mr. van Tiel spent eight years at sea where he rose to the rank of Chief Engineer, all ships. After coming ashore, he acted in the roles of Superintendent for Seatrade Groningen Italy B.V. Vado and Beltship Management Monaco. After five years, he left Beltship Management Monaco having been promoted to the position of Technical Manager leading their technical department and overseeing and managing a fleet of three owned and six third party vessels. Mr. van Tiel spent ten years in ship management and immediately prior to joining IRI he was the Fleet Manager for Livestock Express BV Breda where he was responsible for seven livestock carriers, and a team of three superintendents and two purchasers. Chris holds a Maritime Officer degree from the Maritime Institute Vlissingen.