Captain Sunil Thapar joined Allcargo Logistics in 2015 as chief executive officer (CEO), shipping services. His areas of responsibility include consolidation of the current shipping business and its expansion in different shipping segments and geographies. Allcargo’s services comprise global multimodal transport operations including non-vessel operating common carrier, less than container load, and full container load; container freight stations; inland container depots; logistics and warehousing; shipowning and chartering.
Before joining Allcargo, Captain Thapar retired as a director from the board of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), the country’s national shipping company. He headed the bulk carrier and tanker divisions, the main profit-making segments, of SCI. This division accounts for nearly 95 per cent of deadweight tonnage (DWT) and 70 per cent of SCI’s revenues.
Captain Thapar has a master’s degree in shipping management from the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden. Besides this, he also holds a master (Foreign Going) certificate of competency, issued by the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India. Thapar has presented papers and has been a speaker as well as panelist at various conferences and spoken on diverse topics.
Thapar’s professional journey started as a cadet (Floating Cadre) in 1974. He served on different types of ships and became a captain at the young age of 26. He joined SCI’s shore establishment in 1987 and worked in various departments and in different capacities. These included the offshore, liner shipping, bulk carrier and tanker segments. During his tenure, he was posted to Shanghai in April 2015 as the chief representative of SCI in China to look after container services and other interests in China and other Far East regions. He was also nominated as director for various joint venture companies of SCI. Besides, he has also served on the members’ board at North of England Protecting and Indemnity Association Limited.
Captain Thapar has deep knowledge and vast experience in handling all segments of shipping – commercial and technical management, chartering, business development and liquefied natural gas shipping. Thapar is a life member and fellow of the Company of Master Mariners of India.