Meet Geraint Jones, Group Director for Single Voyage Services, ABL Abu Dhabi
The team at ABL Group shares the passion, vision and values for working in energy and the world’s oceans, de-risking and driving the energy transition. We are driven by the idea that the best work is born from professionalism, diligence… and fun. You know ABL Group, but do you know our team?
Give us a glimpse into your day-to-day life at ABL so far. What keeps you on your toes?
“My day-to-day life is monitoring the various single voyages going on globally within ABL, be it through high-risk enquiry notification or departure reports, this ensures as a group we are not left exposed to potential risk.
Other than that, I like to be involved in the ongoing single voyage projects and still prefer to be stood on ship in a boiler suit than sat behind a desk.”
What drew you to our industry and what keeps you passionate about it?
I grew up in Kuwait with my bedroom overlooking the tanker loading terminal at Mina Al Ahmadi and always wondered what happened to the ships when they left, when the opportunity arose to undertake a cadetship in the merchant Navy I jumped at it. It has been my passion and life ever since. The single voyage business line is far from run of the mill and each project is different to the last so this keep the passion alive.
Can you tell us about something exciting you are working on right now?
I am currently writing an internal training programme (ABL TowSmart) to further the knowledge of our surveyors on towing and the company standards for towing.
How do you see the future of marine operations evolving in the Middle East, and what technical or operational developments will be most critical?
With the rise in political tensions and the GPS spoofing occurring I see an increase in risk mitigation for vessel movements within the Arabian Gulf, the reliance on technology may shift back to good old-fashioned eyes and raising watchkeeping standards for vessels transiting the Arabian Gulf.
Beyond the work, what’s your favourite part about being part of the ABL team in UAE? Any fun team moments you’d like to share?
Having been one of the first 50 employees in Aqualis Offshore I am very passionate to retain the standards we set out to achieve when AO was set up. I think one of my proudest moments was when our former CEO David Wells retired and said to me ‘I am handing the towing Guru reigns over to you now’.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
I would like to see an industry standard brought into the London Markets for single voyages along the lines of the various JH documents. At ABL we have raised the standards for this type of work over the past decade, and we are recognised for this within the London Markets, however, there is still no industry standard for it.
More about Geraint
Position: Group Director for Single Voyage Services
Office: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Trail Running, Outdoor Pursuits, my 4 Dogs, International Rally Safety, Volunteer 4×4 Response. Currently my whole spare time is consumed by training for Ultra Marathons in the UK and the UAE.
Favourite movie: Smokey and the Bandit or Convoy | Favourite song: Shine of you Crazy Diamond or Comfortably Numb both by Pink Floyd
Geraint and the rest of our local UAE team will be returning to ADIPEC! Come and find us at Stand 8539 in Hall 8 (UK Pavilion) and learn how ABL Group and its group companies – ABL, AGR, OWC and Longitude are supporting the evolving energy landscape with expert consultancy and smart, sustainable solutions.