SHIPPING Australia has appointed autonomous shipping expert Mehrangiz Shahbakhsh to its staff.
Ms Shahbakhsh specialises in the human elements of autonomous shipping. She joins the association as a shipping analyst and liaison officer.
SAL said Ms Shahbakhsh has experience in a range of industrial maritime companies, working on matters such as ship reporting, safety reporting and analysis, and auditing and inspecting vessels. She has also worked as a technical expert for a classification society.
“It is great to have a person of Mehrangiz’s skill and expertise in the autonomous space as Shipping Australia continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of the shipping industry and the needs of our members,’ Shipping Australia CEO Melwyn Noronha said.
“We will look forward to continuing to help and aid the industry as it moves away from its traditional structures and practices and as it reinvents itself to face the challenges and opportunities of the future.”
Ms Shahbakhsh said she was excited about the opportunities appearing in the maritime industry.
“The world is rapidly going through a technological revolution and autonomous shipping is a new and progressive field,” she said.
“It has the potential to bring significant changes to the maritime industries. I saw an opportunity to study, and to understand, the implications of changes that will affect operators and seafarers in the maritime industries.
“I wanted to understand how, and to find practical solutions, to help ensure a smooth transition from human-centred traditional shipping to autonomous shipping.”
Ms Shahbakhsh will help the association by carrying out research into the local industry, submitting policy documents, articles for trade and general media, carrying out the work of the secretariat and in representing the interests of the members.
“I am eager to help our members achieve their policy goals in safe and environmentally friendly shipping, while also promoting the interests of the ocean shipping industry in Australia” she said.
SAL said Shahbakhsh will be help the association carry out research into the local industry, submitting policy documents, articles for the trade and general media, carrying out the work of the Secretariat, and in representing the interests of the members.
Ms Shahbakhsh hails from Zahedan in south-east Iran. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architect Engineering from Chahbahar Maritime and Marine University, along with a Master of Science in Marine Transportation Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran.
Now an Australian citizen, Mehrangiz is a Ph.D. candidate with the Australian Maritime College at the University of Tasmania, where she is researching the human elements of autonomous shipping, with a particular focus on seafarer training, needs and challenges.
