Session 1

The Skies – SatComs in the Era of LEO and 5G

We are well past the days of treating ship-to-shore connectivity as a luxury; today’s vessel is an “always-on” operational node. In this session, we will tackle the bandwidth battles head-on, examining how the convergence of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations and maritime 5G is fundamentally altering fleet management.

However, we need to separate what is actually working at sea from what looks good in a brochure. To achieve this, the session will feature our MythBusters format. We have all sat through enough polished sales presentations—this rapid-fire debate will strip away the marketing hype to establish the technical reality of modern satellite communications. We will focus purely on what delivers tangible ROI, what ensures reliable redundancy, and what is merely industry noise.

Connectivity as an Operational Reality Dimitris Pavlides, IT Manager – Stealth Maritime

MythBusters: SatComs Reality Check A rapid-fire debate separating marketing hype from technical reality in satellite communications. Panellists will be challenged to defend their tech claims against industry friction.

Moderator: Dimitris Pavlides, IT Manager – Stealth Maritime

Panellists

• Apostolos Giannetsos, ICT Manager – Cyprus Sea Lines
• Nicolas Sarantos, ICT Manager – Seahawk Group
• Thanos Servos, IT Manager – Seaven
• Yiannis Sofianidis, IT Director/CISO – AM Nomikos TWMA SA
• Ilias Vlachogiannis, Head of Fleet ICT – Minerva Marine Inc.

The Shield – Redefining Maritime Cybersecurity

For too long, the maritime sector has treated cybersecurity as a mere compliance exercise. With ships now operating as highly connected, floating data centres, a tick-box approach is no longer fit for purpose. This session focuses on the necessary shift from basic compliance to real-time, dynamic resilience, exploring how we can build robust “human firewall” strategies from the boardroom to the engine room.

To drive this home, we are moving away from the standard slide decks on malware and introducing The War Room. This is a live, audience-driven cyber-attack simulation on a vessel at sea. We will put attendees in the hot seat, forcing them to make critical operational and commercial decisions under pressure. It is designed to stress-test our collective incident response and show exactly what happens when the screens go dark.

Securing the Connected Ecosystem – Fotis Tsitsirigkos, Maritime Technology Advisor – FTTCS

The War Room: Live Cyber-Attack Simulation on a Vessel 

An active engagement session. The audience will drive decisions for a simulated cyber-attack on a vessel at sea, stress-testing response strategies under real-world pressures.

Moderator: Fotis Tsitsirigkos, Maritime Technology Advisor – FTTCS

Panellists

• Dimitris Perdikaris, Company Security Officer / DPA – Plutofylax Shipping
• Manolis Papadakis, CIO/CISO – Dynagas
• Ioannis Pantazopoulos, Regional Manager Greece, Cyprus and Turkey – Division Air France, KLM and Delta Air Lines
• Demetris Skourides, Chairman – Research Innovation Foundation Cyprus
• Kyriakos Mahos, HSQE Director, DPA & CSO – Levante Ferries