Speakers

Janet Nodar is a well-respected business journalist and conference content director who spent more than two decades covering breakbulk and project cargo for the Journal of Commerce by S&P Global and related publications. Having retired in late 2025, she now works on special industry-related projects.

Susan Oatway is a highly experienced analyst who joined the Journal of Commerce by S&P Global in January 2023 as a senior research analyst for multipurpose and project shipping. Her focus is on the multipurpose, breakbulk, project cargo, and related shipping markets, including roll-on, roll-off and refrigerated shipping. In September 2025 she became the Chair of the Journal of Commerce Breakbulk and Project Cargo Conference, held annually in New Orleans. Susan is fully conversant with all aspects of the multipurpose and dry bulk shipping market. Prior to joining S&P Global, she was the principal author of Drewry’s Multipurpose and Heavy Lift publications for nearly 20 years. She has extensive consulting experience working for carriers/shipping lines, financial intermediaries and other key industry stakeholders. She is regularly asked to share her market knowledge and insights at leading industry conferences and lectures on dry bulk chartering for the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS). She was the first female International chair at the ICS from 2019 to 2021 and remains a Fellow of the Institute. She is also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights.

Peter’s knowledge spans maritime law, marine engineering, ship and port commercial operations, vessel vetting and valuation, data visualisation, application development, and system design. He earned a degree in Marine and Plant Engineering in 2008 and began his career at sea as an Engineer Officer of the Watch before moving ashore into operations in 2011.
A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS), Peter previously served as Vice Chairman of the ICS Ireland branch and helped launch the Netherlands Development Branch in 2019. He chairs the ICS Membership Committee and holds a Master’s in Maritime Law from the University of London.
In 2019, he founded Sea3R, advising financial institutions and shipping companies on maritime strategy, fleet evaluation, and market analysis.  Sea3R recently transitioned its annual reporting to a portal focused on coasters trading in the European area, providing information on fleet development, utilisation, asset value freight and ownership fragmentation.
A self-confessed shipping enthusiast, Peter combines technical and commercial insight with genuine passion for the industry.

Catrien Scheers is the Chairman of Fast Group, a leading logistics company in Europe specializing in shortsea break bulk shipping. With over 30 years of experience, Catrien has developed deep expertise across the shipping industry, serving as a shipowner, forwarder, terminal operator, ship agent, and ship manager.She holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Media Studies from KU Leuven University. Under her leadership, Fast Lines Belgium provides comprehensive logistics solutions through its innovative "Sofa Style Service," continually investing in its people, fleet, and port operations.Catrien believes in the power of people, driving her motto: “Assets are important, but people make the difference!”

Have started career in 1990 in Chipolbrok just after graduation from Foreign Trade faculty at Gdansk Unviersity.For the first years in charge of chartering activity and later on as from very beginning responsible for development of  main liner service from Europe.As from 2002 working as Commercial Manager in Chipolbrok Gdynia office. Promoted in 2024 into position of Shipping Director. Big experience and vast knowledge as to liner service and project cargo market.

Joris Leonaers ,BD director industrial projects within Gosselin Logistics has over 25 years of experience in international logistics, project cargo, and maritime operations.Throughout his career, he has developed and delivered end-to-end asset-based logistics solutions for major engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) companies, including OEM’s.The most recent challenge was the management of the logistics control tower of INEOS Project ONE. His expertise spans heavy-lift and out-of-gauge cargo & supply chain management for large-scale industrial projects.Having held senior leadership roles at Heavy (nowadays Gosselin) , Aprojects & Ahlers , Joris tries to combine deep sector knowledge with strong commercial partnership.He will touch upon the current challenges for inland transport & multimodal solutions.

With more then 25 years of experience in logistics, customer relations and rail freight, An Corvers has built her career at the heart of the European transport sector. Active in rail freight since 1999, she started her career at TRW before joining B-Cargo in 2007 and later Lineas, where she has been working since 2014 as Senior Key Account Manager Exceptional & Special Transports.  Over the years, An has developed extensive expertise in rail logistics, bulk and industrial transport, and customer-focused freight solutions. Her experience spans operational coordination, commercial management and strategic account development, always with a strong emphasis on long-term customer relationships and service reliability.

Yorck Niclas Prehm did not set out to become one of the more knowledgeable voices in Multipurpose and Heavylift shipping — it simply happened over the course of more than two decades working every corner of the market. And like so many who find their way into this business, he will tell you that once it gets under your skin, it never really lets you go. Over that time, he has held senior positions in Sales, Chartering, Tonnage Procurement, Project Management and Market Analysis with leading breakbulk carriers, shipowners and brokers — a breadth of experience that has given him a deep instinct for where commercial reality and market data meet.

Since 2019, Niclas has served as Head of Market Intelligence at Toepfer Transport GmbH, the Hamburg-based boutique shipbroker whose research department has earned a reputation well beyond its size. There, he has found his natural habitat: deep in the data, tracking the quiet signals that move the market — charter rate fluctuations, fleet utilisation trends, orderbook dynamics — and turning them into analysis that practitioners actually rely on. He is the custodian of the Toepfer Multipurpose and Shortsea Shipping Indices — developing, maintaining and safeguarding the integrity and quality of a benchmark the sector has come to depend on — and the editorial force behind Toepfer’s quarterly Multipurpose and monthly European Shortsea Shipping Reports.

Also recognised as an expert witness in commercial maritime dispute resolution and member of the German Maritime Arbitration Association, Niclas brings analytical precision, grounded market judgment, and, it should be said, a genuine enthusiasm for every minute of it.

Carly Fields is Associate Editor for Project and Heavy-Lift at the Journal of Commerce and JOC.com, covering breakbulk, project and heavy-lift transport and logistics. Based in the UK, she is a specialist maritime editor, overseeing publications including The Sea and Marine Professional in addition to her responsibilities at the Journal of Commerce. She was previously an editor at Breakbulk magazine and has been reporting on the breakbulk sector since 2015. She started her maritime journalism career at daily maritime newspaper Lloyd’s List in 2000. Fields holds a first class Maritime Studies degree and is an assistant examiner for professional shipping exams through the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, of which she is a Fellow. Through the Seahorse Freight Association, she is also a judge for excellence in journalism in the transport industry.

Senior logistics leader with more than 20 years of international experience delivering complex transport, freight, and project logistics solutions across major capital programmes in energy, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, nuclear, mining and metals, and natural resources.

He has a proven record of leading and supporting logistics execution on mega-projects across Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, and the wider European market. His core strengths include strategic logistics planning, transport assurance, supply chain coordination, and execution in remote and regulated environments.

His experience spans critical infrastructure, energy, advanced manufacturing, offshore wind, nuclear, mining and metals, alumina refining, and oil and gas, with responsibility for logistics strategy, coordination, assurance, and delivery across major programmes, including:

• 4th Stabilisation and Sweetening Project, Kazakhstan
• Gas Field Development Project, Turkmenistan
• Offshore oilfield Project – artificial islands, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Alumina Refinery EPC Project, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Dutch and Scottish Offshore wind projects
• Lithium Project, Serbia
• Semiconductor Project, Germany
• Nuclear Power Project, Poland

In his current role as Logistics Manager for Bechtel Global Logistics, Marc provides regional leadership across project logistics integration, transport assurance, and the delivery of safe, compliant, and sustainable logistics solutions for major capital projects.

Marc is a solutions-oriented logistics professional with a strong track record of aligning logistics execution with project ES&H, schedule, commercial, and contractual objectives. He brings established expertise in:

• Strategic logistics, transport, and freight planning
• Early identification of risks and opportunities
• Development of logistics execution strategies, transport studies, and delivery frameworks
• Oversight of logistics operations in accordance with project controls, governance, and assurance requirements
• Customs compliance, international freight management, and heavy/over-dimensional cargo coordination

He has strong knowledge of regional and international supply chain networks across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, and works effectively with logistics service providers, fabrication and module yards, freight operators, transport authorities, customs stakeholders, and project teams to support reliable and compliant delivery.

His approach combines operational practicality with disciplined governance, proactive stakeholder coordination, and a strong focus on safety, compliance, sustainability, and execution certainty.

Luc Geerts graduated in shipping and forwarding and began his professional career in project forwarding. He later became logistics manager at a minerals producer, where he was responsible for managing a barge fleet. Inland waterway transport has remained a central theme throughout his career, with roles in sales, business development, and general management at various logistics service providers. For over six years, Luc served as a modal shift expert at De Vlaamse Waterweg, including providing expert advice on optimizing cargo flows of heavy equipment and oversized cargo by barge to the hinterland. Since July 2024, he is responsible for the activities of the Dutch inland shipping cooperative NPRC in Belgium. He also chairs the Belgian federation of transport organisers in inland waterway transport (BFTB) and is a board member of Koepel Binnenvaart Vlaanderen (KBV).

www.nprc.be

After graduating in Shipping and Forwarding, Marc started his career in the maritime sector and has now spent more than 40 years in shipping, logistics, cargo handling, and terminal operations.
During that time, he has worked for both multinational and family-owned companies, building extensive experience in international business development, terminal operations, and commercial management.
Today, he is responsible for the commercial activities and international growth of Zuidnatie, with a particular focus on breakbulk, project cargo, steel, forest products, and other conventional cargo segments.
www.zuidnatie.be

Florian is Head of Sea Logistics at thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG and an experienced maritime logistics professional with more than 10 years of experience and a strong focus on bulk and breakbulk transportation. He is responsible for global ocean freight procurement, shipping strategy, and the development of complex logistics solutions for industrial supply chains. With extensive expertise in chartering, project cargo, heavy-lift transportation, and international shipping markets, he is committed to driving efficient, sustainable, and innovative maritime logistics solutions. Florian actively follows developments in the breakbulk and multipurpose shipping sectors and regularly exchanges insights with industry stakeholders across the global logistics community.