Dr. Capt. Arife Tugsan Isiacik Colak

Captain Superintendent & Head of Maritime Department International Maritime College Oman (IMCO), National University of Science and Technology

Dr. Capt. Arife Tugsan Isiacik Colak is a Captain Superintendent and the Head of the Maritime Department at the International Maritime College Oman (IMCO), National University of Science and Technology. She is an oceangoing Master Mariner with extensive sea-going experience on merchant vessels, and has also served as a Training Ship Captain on training vessels at Istanbul Technical University (ITU).

She completed her PhD at Istanbul Technical University in Advanced Technologies (Remote Sensing and Satellite Communications) and holds an MSc in Maritime Transportation Engineering from ITU. Her research and professional projects focus on maritime digitalisation and decarbonisation, human factors and human-machine interaction in remotely operated and autonomous vessels, and GIS-based maritime spatial planning and decision-support for maritime operations.

In her current leadership role, she oversees STCW-aligned programme delivery, quality assurance, and the continuous review and updating of syllabi and training frameworks to match evolving industry needs. She is also leading the development and launch of a new programs, the BBA in Maritime Business Management (MBM), strengthening industry-academia collaboration and expanding pathways for the next generation of maritime professionals. She is coordinator of International Maritime and Logistic Conference, which will be held on 10-11 Feb., 2026 at Oman.