Goes, Zeeland, Netherlands
I bridge three worlds that rarely meet in one career: commodity trading at Glencore, hands-on shipowning, and a Master Mariner's background with years at sea. Cargo from the charterer's seat, vessels as principal, and the bridge as starting point — that combination shapes how I think about commercial decisions, risk, and asset value in dry bulk shipping. As Commercial Director at EBE nv, I lead the commercial and operational management of a Belgian-flagged dry bulk fleet ranging from Supramax to Newcastlemax. My remit covers chartering and post-fixture operations, S&P, newbuilding projects, and oversight of technical and crew management. The work spans the full voyage cycle: where vessels earn, how exposure is managed, and when to buy or sell tonnage. As founder of Rensmarine, I provide, on a selective basis, commercial, operational and technical ship management advisory to owners, charterers and operators. Earlier in my career I traded dry bulk and freight at Glencore, where I learned how one of the world's most demanding trading floors thinks about risk, P&L ownership, and decision velocity. That mindset travels with me into every charter negotiation and every boardroom. Core areas of expertise: – Full-cycle commercial management: voyage P&L, asset valuation, FFA hedging, tonnage tax regimes – S&P and newbuilding execution – Multi-jurisdictional structuring across the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Caribbean – Regulatory fluency: FuelEU Maritime, EU ETS, pool dynamics, ITF/PSC frameworks Based in the Netherlands.
Full commercial and operational responsibility for EBE's dry bulk fleet, ranging from Ultramax through Newcastlemax. Remit covers chartering and post-fixture operations, S&P, newbuilding projects, and oversight of technical and crew management. Observer to the Board of Directors. Scope: – Commercial strategy and voyage P&L across the fleet – Chartering decisions (spot, period TC, pool participation) and counterparty risk – Sale & Purchase: tonnage acquisition, divestment, asset value monitoring – Newbuilding projects: yard selection, spec, supervision through delivery – Bunker strategy and exposure management, including FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS implications – Oversight of technical management and crewing standards in partnership with the technical team – Regulatory and flag-state matters across Belgian flag and broader EU compliance – Owner of EBE's compliance and IT security agenda, covering sanctions and counterparty screening, cyber resilience under IMO cyber risk management guidelines, and NIS2 readiness
Joined EBE before the first vessel was acquired and helped build the company from the ground up into a multi-segment dry bulk shipowner. Set up the operational and technical foundation that supported every subsequent acquisition and grew the fleet step by step alongside the asset base. Scope: – Set up and ran post-fixture operations from day one: voyage execution, laytime and demurrage, bunker procurement, port operations – Voyage-level P&L management – Charter party administration, claims handling, owner/charterer interface – Built out the technical management interface: dry-dockings, repairs, class and flag matters, performance monitoring – Established operational systems, reporting structures, and procedures from scratch – Recruitment and development of the operations team as the fleet expanded
Personal management company through which I provide, on a selective basis, commercial, operational and technical ship management advisory to owners, charterers and operators.
Volunteer board role at the businessclub of vv Goes, a Dutch amateur football club playing in the third and fourth divisions of the national league during my tenure. The businessclub is the network of local entrepreneurs and sponsors that funds the club's first team and broader activities. – Treasurer responsibilities: budget, sponsorship income, financial reporting to the board and members – Contract negotiations and administration covering players, staff, and registration with the KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association) – Engagement with the local business community across Zeeland – Contributed to the club's promotion to the third division (2024–2025) 2021-2022: 3rd division 2022-2023: 4th division 2023-2024: 4th division 2024-2025: 3rd division
Hired to bring all vessel operations in-house from an external service provider and to build Glencore's global post-fixture and operations chartering desk from scratch. After the successful build-up, the desk scaled rapidly alongside Glencore's commercial chartering activities. Scope at peak: – Operational team of 30 across multiple offices – 175–225 dry bulk vessels under management at any given time, on voyage and time charter – Full responsibility for hiring, training, and setting standards and procedures – Service provider contract negotiations (port agents, surveyors, providers across the chain) – Legal defense preparation and claims management Selected operational achievements: – Designed and executed grain transshipment at sea — initially considered impossible within the trade – Loaded Kamsarmax vessels at Handysize berths through tailored operational planning – Optimised hold cleaning operations for grain-clean vessels in Australia, materially improving turnaround – Built the operational standards and procedures that became the desk's blueprint
Master on the Rotterdam–UK shortsea route, with pilot certificates for the ports served. Involved in the transfer of vessels to new routes during my tenure. – Zero PSC deficiencies and zero PSC detentions across the full period as officer and Master – Pilot exemption certificate (PEC) holder for the ports of call – Specialist in optimising mixed cargo loads (IMDG dangerous goods units combined with reefer units) to maximise safe vessel utilisation