Jacob is from Gothenburg, Sweden, and has a Double Degree in Law (LL.M) European Business Law.
He has over 25 years' experience in the maritime field and in particular with maritime safety issues. He has been working on maritime issues in the European Commission since 1996. After spending some time working for the Swedish Shipowners Association in Brussels, he spent seven years working for the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), and was one of its pioneers in its initial setting up, also managing the 'inspectorate' unit.

Jacob is currently principle administrator in the European Commission Maritime Safety Unit with responsibilities, among other areas, for development of EU policy and legislation related to flag State as well as coastal State issues, including vessel traffic monitoring and situational awareness at sea (maritime surveillance). He has held responsibilities for port State control matters and for EU legislation related to classification societies (recognized organizations) as well as financial and liability issues.

Tore Longva has a MSc in Industrial Economics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2004). He has worked in DNV since 2006 on research and business development projects, and currently he is holding a position in the Regulatory Affairs department. His focus areas are innovation in maritime transport value chains; and improving environmental performance of shipping. Tore Longva has been a key part of several forecast studies on emission reduction and cost-benefit assessments of technologies. He has been following closely the development of regulating GHG in shipping for more than 15 years as an advisor in the Norwegian delegation to the Marine Environmental Protection Committee in the IMO.

Levan Chikviladze is a highly accomplished professional in the field of engineering, holding a Master of Science degree with a specialization in renewable energy and related technologies. With an impressive tenure of two years at ShoreLink, Mr. Chikviladze has consistently delivered exceptional technical consultancy services and has been instrumental in providing innovative shore power solutions to clients worldwide. His expertise and dedication contribute significantly to the success and growth of ShoreLink in the maritime industry.

Riina Palu has 20 years of experience in maritime and logistics related areas, of which she was nearly 12 years employed by the major Estonian port authority Port of Tallinn. During her port work she managed a variety of projects from international cooperation to port infrastructure development financing. Riina was one of the key persons and the main strategist in establishing the Estonian Logistics Cluster in 2010. Since 2018, Riina is active as a consultant advising ports and governments abroad on digital transformation. She currently runs two priority projects for the Estonian Government – icebreaking alternatives and maritime cluster.
Riina is currently completing her PhD studies in maritime change and innovation management in LUT University’s Engineering Faculty in Finland.

Mr Kleppestø (MSc) is an associate partner in Menon Economics AS. On a daily basis he is the general Manager for the Maritime Oslofjord Alliance, comprising the three maritime and ocean industry associations Oslo Shipowners’ Association, Ocean Industry Forum Oslofjord, and Shipping & Offshore Network. The two former have a regional focus, the latter has a global one.

Shipping & Offshore Network was one of 19 partners in the Go LNG project, with Klaipėda Science and Technology Park as lead partner (2016–19). It is currently one of 20 partners in the Blue Supply Chain project (2022-2025), with Port of Hamburg as lead partner. Both projects are under the EU Interreg BSR (Baltic Sea Region) umbrella.

His professional background includes executive education, talent management, entrepreneurship, innovation, and media. Tom’s interest in Eastern Europe and the Baltic States arose in his teens. He is Chairman and Co-founder of the Lithuanian-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce (LNCC) in Oslo. He has been involved with the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights since he was a student at NHH (Norwegian School of Economics) in Bergen starting in 1986.

Olli-Pekka Hilmola is working as a Professor in LUT University (currently in part-time basis) and within branch unit located in Kouvola, Finland. Total amount of published scientific journal manuscripts reaches approx. 190 works, and having citations around 4000 (Google Scholar). He is serving as an Adjunct Professor in Taltech/EMERA, Estonia, and as Visiting Prof. within University of Gävle, Sweden. Research interests lie in the areas of transportation logistics, supply chains, industrial management and quantitative methods.

Rene Pärt is the Head of Business Development and member of the management team at Port of Tallinn. In addition, he is the Member of the Supervisory Board at both TS Laevad and TS Shipping. The goal of Rene's work is to expand the business opportunities of Port of Tallinn group, to initiate and manage new business projects, lead the group´s strategy and work with foreign direct investments. He has graduated from Tallinn University of Technology with a degree in Logistics and is currently doing his masters in Business and Administration at Aston University. Rene has worked in the international logistics corporation Kühne + Nagel AS as the Business Development Manager and in DFDS, the largest shipping group in the Nordic countries, as the Baltic Sales and Partnership Manager. In addition he is active in the Logistics and Transit Association.

Education

2021 – … University of Tartu
    Strategic management, MBA
2015 – 2018 Tallinn University of Technology
    Maritime Studies, MSc
2005 – 2010 Estonian Maritime Academy
Deck officer  

Experience

05.2023 - … Director of Maritime Division (Transport Administration)
07.2021 – 04.2023 Head of Maritime Safety and Supervision Department (Transport Administration)
03.2019 – 06.2021 Head of Ship Supervision Department (Maritime Administration/ Transport Administration)
11.2017 – 02.2019 Maritime casualty investigator (Safety Investigation Bureau)
08.2010 – 06.2017 Deck officer/master on different vessels

Membership in organizations

Member of Association of Estonian Deck Officers