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Meet Our Associate – Eka Infra Consultants

BHAVDIP SHAH

Senior (Marine Structural) Engineer

Bhavdip Shah holds Bachelor degree of Engineering in (CTM) Construction, Technology and Management and Master Degree of Technology in Structural Design. He is also certified PMP® (Project Management Professional) by PMI. He has more than 15 years of experience in the field of Marine Structure Engineering. His project work experience is not only limited to India but also worked on Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Saudi, West Africa projects. He has played various roles of a Project manager, Lead Engineer, Line Manager, Senior Engineer, Structure Engineer on several projects. He is specialised for Marine Projects where he is excellent in detail design designing of various types of jetties, yards, buildings with various types of foundation and material like steel tubular, steel sheet piles, steel modular piles, concrete bored piles, prestressed spun piles etc. Also, hands-on experience on berthing analysis, ship navigation simulation, port master engineering layout preparation with FEED design, marine infrastructure inspection and repairs solution, tender document preparations, technical specification preparations, port utilisation study, equipment Installation on existing structures etc.

Bhavdip has managed different marine projects like LNG jetties, liquid terminals, dry bulk terminals, container berths, container yards, Ro- Ro yards, multipurpose terminal, tug berth jetty, Ro-Ro jetty, yard developments, yard buildings, master plan development etc. His well-versed knowledge with respect to various civil software named STAAD.Pro, STAAD.offshore, AutoCAD, KUBLA Port-Dredging, Slope/W, AMRetainTM -Steel Sheet Pile, etc is an added advantage for Eka Infra.

CAPT. ARUN KARKARE

Technical Consultant

Capt. Arun. K. Karkare is a Master Mariner (Foreign Going) and served at the sea for over 15 years for various Indian and Foreign Shipping companies. When he came ashore, he joined Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and served as a Marine Pilot for 22 years. During his time at MbPT, Capt. Arun led pioneering initiatives in the development of the Port. He has held the post of Director (Technical) with SHV International, the developer of India’s first private sector LPG gas plant in Porbandar, Gujarat.

Since the last 13 years, Capt. Arun has been a consultant to several prestigious Port projects including captive Port infrastructure projects developments and projects related to refinery, power, steel mill and cement plants. Some of the Ports he has worked with include Dhamra Port, Kattupalli Port, Chowgule’ s Port at Jaigarh, APM Terminals (Pipavav)and Paradip Port Trust. Capt. Arun is also the Marine Advisor and Consultant to many Government and non-Government organizations including IPA (Indian Port Association) New Delhi, Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) Mumbai and Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) Gandhinagar. He is also associated with Tata Power Company, KPMG, Deloitte and Finolex.

A recipient of Varuna Award, the highest civilian maritime award in India, Capt. Arun is an invaluable asset for our clients.

CAPT. R K LAHIRI

Inland Waterways and Costal Shipping

Capt. Raj Krishna Lahiri is a Master Mariner (Foreign Going) and has served at sea for over 10 years in Indian and International Shipping Companies. Since coming ashore he has been involved as a technical advisor/consultant for Ports and marine infrastructure primarily focused on the east coast of India.

Capt. Lahiri’s project management skills coupled with expertise relating to hydrographic surveys, logistics planning, marine surveys, vessel suitability studies for inland waterways and operations management assistance skills provide Eka Infra access to ideas and experience that enhances our study and development of marine and Port infrastructure. In particular, he assists in ensuring the proposed infrastructure meets the needs of logistics chains.

DAVID WIGNALL

Senior Port Professional

David Wignall is a senior Port professional and currently is the Senior Vice President of Indonesia’s State Owned Port Company (IPC) with specific responsibility for strategic projects. His experience as a senior Port manager responsible for operations and development combined with fifteen years of providing consulting support within the industry, has allowed him to develop a well-rounded understanding of the Port and marine industry. David’s expertise includes economics and feasibility studies while handling daily operations. He has been responsible for directing research and consulting studies and providing management support for marine assets across the globe. David has worked in many countries including China, United States of America, United Kingdom, India, Russia, Germany, Spain, Thailand, UAE, Yemen, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria.

The International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea, The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have recognised David’s expertise by appointing him to undertake several independent studies. He has acted as an expert witness for courts in many jurisdictions. Of particular note was evidence for a court in New York on anti-trust claims related to price fixing in Ports and shipping.

David has presented more than 30 conference papers detailing projects and management research in the Ports and shipping sector. Before founding DWA, David was responsible for the Ports and Logistic Division of one of the world’s leading maritime research and consulting groups. In this role he was instrumental in expanding their Asian operations to over one hundred professionals spread throughout Asia Pacific. Prior to that, David was a member of the senior management team for a major shipping company where his responsibility was the development and operation of Port and terminal facilities. Earlier in his career David worked with one of Europe’s leading maritime engineering consultancies.

ALASTAIR MACLEOD

Technical Consultant

Alastair Macleod is well-known internationally in the field of container terminal planning, design and construction with over 35 years of experience. His expertise spans across many areas like preparation of design briefs detailing requirements for dredging and reclamation, ground improvement, quay structures, yard drainage and container terminal operational layouts and dimensions for quay decks and stacking areas. Alastair’s super specialty is in the designing of heavy duty pavements.

He has worked with major marine contractors on the construction of large container and bulk Port facilities in the capacity of Construction Manager and Project Director. During his career, Alastair worked on prestigious projects like the PSA in Chennai Port as the Advisor for the CITPL Container terminal construction, which required restructuring the project, overcoming delays and improving quality control. He also served as the Technical Advisor on the original concession for the PSA at J4 Terminal JNPT and assisted in technical aspects, constructability, cost estimates and ground improvement. Alastair follows strict design specifications and user requirements for all aspects of container terminal developments including electrical requirements, area lighting and communications. His expertise is useful for reviewing designs for functionality and operational requirements, prequalifying and selecting contractors and providing advice during the tender period. He also provides advice on the type of engineering contracts to be used for example Engineers Design or Design and Build.

DILIP THUMMAR

Senior Design Engineer

Dilip Thummar is a dynamic and tech savvy professional with a master’s in technology – Structural Design. He has over 20 years of experience in the preparation and delivery of multi- disciplinary infrastructure projects. Dilip’s focus area is the use of high-end IT systems to support the design and implementation of infrastructure analysis. His expertise covers tools, such as ETABS, ORION and Microstran. Dilip’s project management skills and advanced analysis capabilities and design have been crucial for the successful completion of major projects.

After acting as the Technical Director, senior structural designer, project manager and principal engineer on several infrastructure projects, Dilip became an independent professional. This allowed him to deliver support to a wider range of infrastructure projects. His experience and expertise provide Eka Infra access to advance design and analytical skills, which are rare in the advisory sector.

DRUMIL PATEL

Traffic Analyst

Drumil Patel is a veteran in traffic analysis with expertise in demand assessment and feasibility studies. With over 25 years of experience, he has effectively delivered successful projects for various Port-related development activities. Drumil possesses precise analytical capabilities and
exceptional technical expertise. He has undertaken several market studies, reviews and due diligence assignments for Ports and logistics across India and globally. He has also extensively worked on transport studies with wide experience in Ports and shipping, logistics infrastructure
(dry Ports, logistics parks, private freight terminals, free trade zones, etc.) and inland waterways.

His experience in the industry qualifies him to deliver promising results via a practical and ergonomic approach. Drumil’s in-depth knowledge about traffic studies, cargo logistics and feasibility studies can be instrumental in Port project as well as general infrastructure land use planning.

GIRISH LELE

Liquid Bulk/ LNG Expert

Girish Lele has over 40years of experiences in the industries like Fertilizers, Petrochemical, Refinery and Oil & Gas. He has held the positions of an overseeing manager, Hazop Chairman, Lead engineer, proposal manager, project manager and technical expert. His specialisation ranges from generation of basic engineering documents for ammonia cryogenic storage, preparation of technical offers and proposals for various projects, undertake technical feasibility, DFR and asset evaluation studies for clients, technical audits and quality control monitoring in process engineering.

MM KAMATH

Associate

With almost six decades of solid experience as an engineer (Port and harbour), teacher and consultant; Mr. M.M. Kamath is the epitome of the term Subject Matter Expert! Mr. Kamath was part of the first batch of civil engineers that obtained their undergraduate degree from the world-renowned Manipal Institute of Technology in 1960 and was the top ranker in his class! He continued his educational journey with a Master’s degree (M. Tech D.I.I.T) in Port and Harbour Engineering from yet another well-respected bastion of learning – the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.

For four decades between 1960 and 2000, Mr. Kamath ably served the Government of Karnataka’s Public Works Department, where he earned a reputation for competence, technical expertise and attention to detail. Since then, he has advised a number of public and private organisations in India, such as Indian Ports Association New Delhi, Rewas Port Mumbai, KPMG Chennai, Visakhapatnam Port Project, Mundra and many more. As a Life Fellow at several prestigious Indian and international organisations, Mr. Kamath – who specialises in Port and Harbour Engineering with particular focus on Dredging – is highly-respected for his knowledge, skills and passion. It is these qualities that have consistently kept him at the forefront of his chosen field of work. We at Eka Infra are very proud to welcome Mr. Kamath as an Associate with our firm.

MANI RAVICHANDER

Electro Mechanical Engineer

Mani Ravichander has about 30 years of experience in delivering major infrastructure including power plants and marine projects. He holds degrees in technology (Electrical and Mechanical) enhanced by a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

After two decades of consulting, project management, designing planning and project execution in major international companies, he has spent the last 10 years as an independent consultant offering designing and project management services to clients. Mani’s experience based insights into planning and design of the mechanical, electrical and PHE aspects of projects ensures Eka Infra’s ability to provide clients a truly integrated understanding of major infrastructure.

MIHIR VORA

Geotechnical Specialist

Mihir Vora has over 32 years of experience in geotechnical investigation, ground water exploration,concrete technology, quality control and quality management systems. He has internationally participated in field investigations, data analysis and report preparation for the RemedialInvestigations/Feasibility Studies of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue Landfills for New York City Department of Environmental Protection Agency. He has also assisted in the determination of oil contamination, ground water modelling and plotting of ground water contours for design parameters of Interim Remedial Measures programmes at these Landfills.

With KBM Engineering Research Laboratory, Mr. Vora is involved in laboratory and field testing of soils. He coordinates and supervises field sampling activities including drilling, sampling and hydraulic transmissivity testing,interpretation and analysis of soil laboratory test results and prepared Geotechnical Reports for foundation designs. Over period of 20 years with KBM Engineering Research Laboratory, He has handled more than 1200 geotechnical projects in varied fields like infrastructure, power plants, refineries industrial projects, residential, social, and religious.

He is a certified Quality Engineer with KBM Engineering Research Laboratory and done manypublications.

PARAMBAN KOKKAN JAIPAL

Technical Consultant

Paramban Jaipal is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a senior member of the Eka Infra team. He has over 50 years of experience in the Maritime Engineering sector. Paramban is a member of many international professional associations, such as European Engineer (Eur Ing.), Chartered Engineer (C Eng.), United Kingdom, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 1967 (MICE) and Member, Editorial Advisory Panel of the ICE Journal “Maritime Engineering”, 2011/ 2012.

He has experience covering projects in several countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

His five decades as an expert consultant and project manager has been developed through his association across multiple multinational companies, which include Jacobs, BMT, Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners and Bertlin & Partners. Paramban has also worked for many Port and railway authorities.

SUDESH TIWARI

Geotechnical Expert

Sudesh Tiwari provides expertise in an area that provides some of the greatest technical risks in
large scale infrastructure, Ground Condition. He has an M. Tech in Geotechnical Engineering combined with over 20 years of practical experience. He is a member of Indian Geotechnical Society (IGS) and the Indian Institute of Bridge Engineering (IIBE).

Sudesh has worked in India and internationally in Dubai and Oman. His specialized work experience includes conduction and analysis of Pile Integrity Test, Cross-Hole Test, Electric Cone Penetration Tests and over 1500-line km shallow Seismic refraction survey.

Key areas of expertise include geotechnical design, bathymetric survey, geophysical survey, quality control of geotechnical activities, chemical and geotechnical analysis, cost estimation and tendering. He has served as the General Manager and Geotechnical Engineer in major companies including Fugro-knd Geotech Ltd. and Integrity Geosciences Pvt. Ltd.

SRUSHTI MODY

Financial Analyst

Srushti Mody has over 20 years of experience across multiple sectors, which include Ports and Port-related services, infrastructure and real-estate development.

Srushti has worked with several companies and has been a freelance consultant since 2010. Having worked with investment banks and private equity funds has given her insight to the integral workings of businesses. Over two decades, Srushti has completed financial feasibility and profitability studies for multiple projects, which include several major Ports across India.

SHANID K P

Planning Engineer

Shanid is a Mechanical Engineer who has secured MBA in Infrastructure Management, from RICS School of Built Environment (RICS SBE), which is one of the finest Built Environment schools in India. His exposure to build environment sector in general and infrastructure sector will add immense value to an organization serving the sector. Public private partnership (PPP), project structuring, project finance and alternative finance approaches, risk management, cost prediction and analysis, contract practice, procurement and tendering etc. are the core competencies acquired by him from
RICS SBE.

Further, his summer internship with World Resources Institute (WRI India) has entrusted him to incorporate values of sustainability, equal economic opportunity, environment, and human well-being in execution of large-scale infrastructure projects. He aspires to shape a career of personal and professional growth, with superior work ethics and positive attitude.

Shanid has worked in Eka Infra Consultants Private Limited, India for 3 year and has received extensive exposure into Ports and logistics sectors along with abundant exposure into other infrastructure sectors. His key focus areas within the organization includes master planning, feasibility studies, technical assessment studies, techno-economic viability studies, tender documentation, project management, claim and contract management etc. He has also assisted the team in providing inputs for inside sales, tender evaluation, proposals, bidding, digital marketing, training and other technical assistance consistently. He is currently providing independent consultancy services to Eka Infra Consultants Private Limited on a request basis.

SANDEEP RAO IDDYA

Environmental Engineer

Sandeep Rao Iddya holds the Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and Master’s degree of Technology in Environmental Engineering. He has more than 15 years of experience in the field of Infrastructure. His roles and responsibilities include environmental audits, environmental management systems, design coordination and assessment. He has worked for leading firms such as Indian Oil Corporation, Asian Paints, GAIL etc. He is a Charted Engineer and a certified valuer. He has successfully managed the roles of being Senior Engineer and Manager and now as an Independent Engineer, he is associated with Eka Infra since 2019. His experience is counted on Environment initiative project and Water Treatment Plant.

VILAS PATANKAR

Technical Reviewer and Advisor

Vilas Patankar is one of our senior most member in Eka Infra having more than 56 years of exclusive experience as a marine structural engineer and a consultant. His career started after the completion of his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering in 1965. He has served various role from Assistant Engineer to Director’s level and presently works as an Independent Technical Consultant from past 10 years. He has work experience in foreign lands including India, United Kingdom, Canada, Philippines, Oman, Iraq, Guinea Bissau (West Africa), Syria, Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria. His area of expertise includes Master-planning, structural analysis, and design of berthing and mooring structures for different segments like terminals, jetties, dolphins, and breakwater in accordance with Indian and International codes & standards, structural analysis and design of fixed offshore structures, design of steel and reinforced concrete structures, detailed project reports and feasibility studies, planning and design of green field projects.

From past Three years, Vilas is associates with EKA Infra as a “Technical Engineer and an Advisory”. He has consulted us and been a part of various projects and his suggestion are valued.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards a more efficient future

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