Official Media Partners

The annual International Maritime Forum "Global Compass" will take place in Varna on September 3-4 / 2025, under the theme "Beyond Horizons: Advancing Maritime Innovation, Safety, and Responsibility."

Under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Municipality of Varna.

"Thank you so much again for the kind invitation. It was an excellent and very enjoyable event. Everyone from the Bulgarian shipping community was very welcoming and friendly and Varna was very special and memorable too - especially the beautiful singing."

Simon Bennett,

International Chamber of Shipping

You can watch all Global Compass 2025 sessions and highlights here.

Watch the key highlights from Global Compass 2025 in the video below.

Propeller Day 2025 – Celebrating Maritime Partnerships

On September 5th, Propeller Day honored the strong and lasting ties between Bulgaria and Italy, highlighting the maritime industry’s vital role in fostering economic and cultural cooperation. With the collaboration of the Bulgarian Shipmasters' Association (BSMA), the event brought together maritime professionals, industry leaders, and esteemed guests to explore future opportunities for cooperation. Further details about the event are available here.

Four Panel Discussions:

I. MARITIME TECHNOLOGY

AI, IoT & Smart Maritime Systems
Autonomous Ships and Ports
Drone Technology in Maritime Operations
Green Shipping Tech & Decarbonisation
Cybersecurity for Ships and Ports

III. PORTS & TERMINALS

PSC, FSC, and Industry Standard Quality Assurance
Oil Spill Prevention and Response
Cargo Interests and Demands on Ports
Green Ports & Decarbonisation Initiatives
Smart Port Technologies & Digital Security
Multimodal Chains of Transport

II. GEO-POLITICAL & TRADE

Trade Wars and Political Conflicts
Sanctions, Tariffs & Surcharges
Law and Insurance Challenges
Shipping Market Cycles
Maritime Security

IV. CREW WELFARE & EDUCATION

Abandonment & Legal Protections
Seafarers’ Physical and Mental Health
Human Rights and Harassment Prevention
Education, Certification & Future Skills
Piracy Threats and Crew Safety
Crew Communications: Cyber Threats and Cybercrime Insurance

About

Speakers & Participants

Simon Bennett

International Chamber of Shipping, Deputy Secretary General

Konstantinos Samaritis

Head of Office & Divisional Director, Tindall Riley & Co Ltd (Greek Branch) Britannia P&I Club

Anders Ivarsson

Grimaldi/Atlantic Container Line, Managing Director

Agustín Martín Mallofré

Professor and Dean, Faculty of Nautical Studies, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC); Maritime Ambassador to the IMO

Stanislav Stoyanov

Bulgarian Shipmasters Association, Chairman; Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Deputy DPA

Nikolay Petkov

Managing Director at Unity Ship Management Ltd

Viktor Dukov

Founder and CEO of SeAI

Nikolay Bedzhev

PhD, Marine Pilot, University Lecturer; NauticBlue, Owner

Zdravko Atanasov

Master Mariner, Simulation Engineering, Member of BSMA

Svetoslav Stamenov

Founder and Manager, ITR Management Consult OOD, PMP

Nicolas Charalambous

EMSA - Project Officer for Maritime Safety, Unit Safety & Security, Department Safety, Security and Surveillance

Guglielmo Camera

Camera & Vernetti Law Firm, Partner

Luciano Crapanzano

Grimaldi/Atlantic Container Line, DPA and Technical and Marine Director

Giuseppe De Francesco

Honorary Consul of Italy in Bulgaria, a specially honored forum guest and event attendee

Dimitar Dimitrov

PhD, Confederation of European Shipmasters’ Associations (CESMA), President

Grigor Kanchev

IT and Communications Manager at Unity Ship Management

Dencho Dobrev

Executive Director, Bulgarian Maritime Training Centre (BMTC)

Dimitar Karageorgiev

Maritime laywer, KRG Law

Maksim Shalaverov

High School Student, Mathematics and Science High School (MG)

Kristian Bachvarov

Sales Account Manager, AXSMarine

Andrew Roberts

RightShip, EMEA and Americas, Executive Director

Miguel Castro

European Maritime Pilots Association (EMPA), President

Marcello Pica

Monaco Chamber of Shipping, Vice President; Marine Partners Monaco, President & CEO; Grimaldi Group, HR Director

Karan Mallya

CEO, Founder. Principal Consultant at Maritimesolutionsltd Ltd.. Karan Mics

Ivaylo Paskov

Bulgarian Shipmasters Association, Deputy Chairman; Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Senior Marine Superintendent

Stanislav Mateev

Operations Manager at Cargill, Varna

Nick Markov

PhD, Head of Bulgarian Ship Hydrodynamics Centre

Georgi Dimitrov

Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, Associated Professor, PhD

Radoslav Dechev

High School Student, Mathematics and Science High School (MG)

Svilen Vodenicharov

CEO, Sirius Maritime Group

Kostis Antonopoulos

Associate Director Eastern Mediterranean, RightShip

Jim Cashman

Consultant at Preston Turnbull LLP

Ali Abouda

CFO at Gulf Navigation Holdings

Ventsislav Ivanov

Executive Director, Executive Agency “Maritime Administration” (EAMA)

Mitko Petev

Vice Admiral, Defence and Security Advisor to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria

Preslav Raykov

Eleen Marine JSC, Commercial Director & Head of Global Trading

Deyan Dimitrov

PhD, Institute for the State and the Law - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, Lecturer, Attorney at Law, Senior Assistant at New Bulgarian University (NBU)

Svetlin Stoyanov

Executive Director, MTG Dolphin Shipyard, Varna; Chairman, Managing Committee of BULNAS; Board Member, CEIB; Board Member, Bulgarian Chamber of Shipping

Delyan Hristov

PhD, Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, Associated Professor

Zoltan Sulay

Manager at Stamco Manning Varna

Scott May

Senior Vice President at Gallagher Marine Systems (GMS)

Engin Koçak

Turkish Shipbrokers Association, Ship Sale and Purchase Broker, Maritime Market Analyst

Jordan Taylor

Maritime Professional & Fulbright Recipient, Founder of Project Harrison

Valentin Enchev

Director, Maritime Administration Directorate – Varna

Pavel Popov

Acting Mayor of Varna Municipality

Nikolay Nikolov

Founder at Components International and Venture Partner at AlfaStar Capital

Anna Karadencheva

PhD, Lecturer at Naval Academy “Nikola Vaptsarov”

George Parvanov

PhD Candidate & University Lecturer, Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy; Inspector & Security Officer, Maritime Administration – Varna

Yana Gancheva

PhD, Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, Associated Professor

Adelina Bedzheva

Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, PhD Candidate

Armand Arton

Arton Capital, Founder and President

Alessandro Geretto

President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria

Padmapriya Jayaraman

Scientist, Artificial Intelligence Expert, Research Advisor, Project Manager

Alexander Kalchev

Executive Director at Navibulgar; Chairman of the Bulgarian Chamber of Shipping (BCS); Chairman of the Board, Bulgarian Shipowners’ Association (BSA).