Dheeraj Sharma

Vice President of Marine & Offshore Regional Business Development for Middle East and Africa ABS

Dheeraj Sharma is the Vice President of Marine & Offshore Regional Business Development for Middle East and Africa at ABS, based in Dubai.

Dheeraj joined ABS in early 2022. Prior to his role at ABS, he spent nearly a decade at United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC) as their General Manager/Owners Representative at the head office in Dubai, where he was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of 26 tankers and office teams in Singapore, Mumbai, and Hong Kong. Before transitioning to onshore roles, he amassed 17 years of experience at sea, serving as Master on Shell & BP-chartered vessels with NOL Singapore, Kuwait Oil Tankers (KOTC), and World-Wide Shipping.

Dheeraj is a qualified Master Mariner certified by the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency. He also holds an MBA in Oil and Gas Management and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in London.

With a diverse background that includes experience in marine operations, safety, commercial activities, and new building projects for shipowners, managers, and oil majors, Dheeraj brings a wealth of commercial shipping knowledge and an owner's perspective to his current role.

2026 Event Agenda Sessions

Powering the Gulf: Oil, Gas & Nuclear in the Age of Energy Transition

As the Middle East balances upstream oil investment, LNG expansion, solar mega-projects and emerging nuclear options, the region’s unique energy mix is reshaping project cargo flows, particularly across offshore and marine supply chains. This session examines the practical realities behind the demand for transition – where oil and gas remain central, how renewables are scaling, and why nuclear small modular reactors (SMRs) are gaining traction for powering data centers and industry.

Thursday 05 February 11:30 - 12:15 Main Stage