Always have a ‘Plan B’: - Somar Alkoht

This article was featured in the official IMPA publication - Supply Chain and Sustainability Magazine, Issue 6 2024

Plan ahead, foster long-term relationships and work closely with your suppliers – these are the guiding principles of Somar Alkoht, Marine Procurement Specialist at Maryam Shipmanagement. He spoke to Felicity Landon.

Although relatively new to procurement, Somar Alkoht has quickly established himself as a proactive and strategic Marine Procurement Specialist. Over nearly three years, he has embraced challenges and mastered complexities, and he has sound words of advice for others joining the sector.

“I started from scratch in this field. My best advice is that even if you don’t have a background in sailing, learn, study and ask questions – and slowly you will find yourself answering other people’s questions,” he says. “A lot of things will look alien to you but with experience and practice, you will get the hang of it!”

Somar’s career began when he was studying accounting and economics at home in Syria and had a part-time job alongside as a Customs clerk in an agency office. After finishing his studies, he worked full-time for the Customs agency for two-and-a-half years before leaving Syria to explore new opportunities. Arriving in Dubai in 2021, he secured a place in Maryam Shipmanagement’s competitive internship programme.

Maryam is the technical management arm of global bulk and tanker specialist TMC Shipping. Based in Dubai, TMC operates a fleet of nine dry bulk carriers and six tankers ranging from small handysize up to Kamsarmax. The main bulk trades are grains, sugar and cement, while the tanker operation is focused on oil products.

“Our vessels trade internationally. Voyages and routes vary from job to job depending on vessel stoppages and optimised routes,” says Somar. “This requires a lot of planning ahead to avoid any sudden issues.”

Maryam Shipmanagement has a team of 50 people based at its headquarters in Dubai and in overseas offices in Turkey and India, while TMC Shipping also has bases in Dubai and has been expanding its presence to global offices in Connecticut, Athens and Geneva.

"As a Marine Procurement Specialist, I oversee all aspects of a vessel’s operational needs, including sourcing provisions, stores, spare parts, certificate renewals, and safety and radio annuals, as well as arranging technical workshops and inspections,” says Somar. “The core of my role lies in sourcing overseas spare parts and managing the dispatch process across the globe. This work demands meticulous planning, time, and effort. With global trading, we must navigate significant time differences – the ship never stops.”

What are the challenges?

Somar highlights the growing challenges in the sector, ranging from ensuring vessel safety in high-risk areas to leveraging digital tools like AI.

“Procurement is all about planning ahead and knowing the actions to take in different situations,” he says. Budgeting and cost savings are critical in the procurement process, he notes, along with strategic planning based on vendor management and building a relationship with reliable suppliers that can supply urgent services. Efficient procurement is not just a necessity but a strategic advantage in the marine industry, he emphasises. “The challenge lies in balancing cost control with the need to maintain operational reliability.”

Somar says: “In an industry where costs fluctuate due to market changes, maintaining the planned budget is an ongoing struggle. Supply chain complexities, such as navigating Customs procedures and managing long-distance logistics, also affect delivery timelines and costs.

“Vendor management requires exceptional communication skills to create a high-quality network worldwide. Some ports have low resources in terms of marine equipment and available supplies, and we always need to have a ‘plan B’ ready in advance.”

Maryam breaks down the budget for each ship quarterly, with the focus on cost-saving while also ensuring that each and every crew member has the food, supplies and equipment they require. “If we don’t do that, the seafarer can’t operate the ship efficiently.”

Procurement naturally requires flexibility and adaptability – the conflict in the Red Sea is a prime example right now, but more day-to-day issues have to be dealt with all the time.

“For example – a last-minute requisition, an urgent critical spare part we need to procure at the last minute. The solution for that is always planning. We carry out audits every six months to ensure that our vessels have all the spares on board for critical equipment, and everything they need to keep the vessel maintained and efficiently operational.”

Every shipping company depends on digitalisation to analyse and optimise services and supplies, he says. “Now AI is advancing too – AI will play a crucial role in the future. It is getting to know how we can get the best of it into our realm as procurement specialists. For example, AI will be vital for data analysis, especially when supplying millions of dollars’ worth of equipment and spares. We are drawing up our plans to implement AI to support our tasks and responsibilities – it can never replace what we are doing, but it can make our lives easier.”

Maritime procurement is no longer a simple function of securing and delivering equipment at the lowest possible price, says Somar. “It is about fostering long-term relationships with partners, developing your suppliers and incorporating digitalisation in this process. Meanwhile, we are taking all the initiatives to improve our fleet and at the same time reduce our environmental impact. For example, we have started this year to adapt our fleet to operate on biofuel; we use speed limitation to save fuel and emissions; we focus on sustainable materials and products; and we know that good vessel maintenance helps to raise a fleet’s performance and sustainability.”

TMC Shipping is a member of IMPA; Somar is enthusiastic about this, and says: “I am waiting for some local events here in the UAE, and I’m sure that I’ll be there!”

He admits that when he started out in procurement, the early weeks were stressful. “But stress is part of the job. You have to have an open mentality to be able to adapt to all the changes and to be flexible. If you can know every piece of equipment in the Marine Stores Guide (MSG), it will help you – and I am trying to!”