Maneesh Pradhan, Managing Director – Global Dry Fleet, Synergy Marine Group, India

Maneesh Pradhan joined the Synergy Marine Group recently as Managing Director – Global Dry Fleet, heading worldwide dry fleet crewing for one of the industry’s foremost ship managers, which employs over 25,000 seafarers in a total fleet of more than 600 managed vessels.

Having sailed with another leading manager for over a decade, he came ashore in 2004, first establishing a branch office and then moving to Indian crewing headquarters in Mumbai and becoming a Managing Director in 2019. A graduate of what is now called IMU Kolkata, by training Maneesh is a Marine Engineer, and his 30 years of industry experience now include over 19 years in crewing.

Maneesh has served as Chair of India’s Maritime Association of Shipowners, Shipmanagers and Agents, a forum for better interaction with the Government and the trade unions in all employment, training and seafarer welfare matters, and has likewise chaired the Maritime Training and Research Foundation, set up to garner member employer contributions and disburse funds as appropriate in aid of training in India.

He wants to bring further excellence and still greater diversity to all aspects of the manning requirements of Synergy’s fast expanding fleet, and to rapidly equip all seafarers with the skills needed to fast-track the managed vessels and also the wider industry towards digitalisation and decarbonization, all amid progressively improving gender equality and mental health.