A leading maritime and shipping organisation in Abu Dhabi — reporting directly to the COO and working at the heart of the Abu Dhabi Regional Operations team — is hiring a Data Analyst for Shipping Operations (V.I.E.) to combine operational efficiency improvement with data analytics, supporting regional performance and strategic decision-making. Created in the context of significant network expansion across MEA corridors, this high-autonomy role supports process optimisation, fleet planning, cost management, competitive intelligence, and regional development — using Advanced Excel, Power BI or Tableau, Alphaliner, LINERLYTICA, MDS Transmodal, and AIS platforms to deliver reliable analyses and recommendations to senior management.
About This Shipping Operations Data Analyst Role — Abu Dhabi UAE
Reporting: Directly to the COO — Abu Dhabi Regional Operations — with high autonomy, multiple priority management, and senior management stakeholder exposure from day one
Context: Created in the context of significant MEA shipping network expansion — the role supports process optimisation, fleet planning, cost management, competitive intelligence, and regional development across key maritime corridors
Analytical Scope: Operational KPI dashboards, fleet utilisation models, OPEX monitoring, competitive intelligence platforms (Alphaliner, LINERLYTICA, MDS Transmodal, AIS), and business case development for new corridors and port calls
Programme: V.I.E. assignment — designed for EU/EEA nationals aged 18–28, combining operational and data analytics exposure at senior management level in one of the Middle East’s most strategically important maritime hubs
Why This Shipping Data Analyst Role Stands Out
COO Direct Reporting from Day One: Produce monthly efficiency reports for the COO and regional management — a level of senior stakeholder exposure that most analysts take years to achieve, available to a V.I.E. candidate from the start of the assignment
MEA Maritime Network Expansion: Work at the centre of a significant network expansion across MEA shipping corridors — where every analytical output directly informs decisions about fleet deployment, port rotation, and new service development
Full Maritime Analytics Stack: Alphaliner, LINERLYTICA, MDS Transmodal, AIS tools, Power BI/Tableau, and Advanced Excel — a comprehensive maritime intelligence and analytics platform exposure rarely available in a single junior-to-mid assignment
End-to-End Commercial Scope: Fleet planning, OPEX monitoring, competitive intelligence, port-cost benchmarking, and new corridor business case development — genuine breadth across operational, financial, and strategic maritime analytics
Position Overview — Purpose of the Role
This Data Analyst — Shipping Operations Region V.I.E. in Abu Dhabi combines operational efficiency improvement with data analytics to support regional performance and strategic decision-making — reporting directly to the COO and working at the heart of the Abu Dhabi Regional Operations team. The role maps, analyses, and benchmarks processes across line operations, port operations, and feeder network management; builds and maintains comprehensive operational KPI frameworks, dashboards, and reporting tools; supports vessel allocation, fleet utilisation, and capacity planning; maintains structured competitive intelligence on MEA corridor competitor services; monitors OPEX and CIP dashboards with live cost tracking; and provides analytical support for new corridors, trade-lane expansion, and regional business opportunities — managing multiple priorities with a high level of autonomy and delivering reliable analyses and recommendations to senior management.
Why This Role Matters: As Data Analyst for Shipping Operations at this Abu Dhabi maritime organisation, you are the analytical engine behind the COO’s visibility into one of the Middle East’s most strategically active shipping networks during a period of significant expansion. When your slot-fill ratio analysis correctly identifies systematic capacity underutilisation on a feeder corridor that translates into a redeployment recommendation saving meaningful OPEX per voyage, your Alphaliner-sourced competitive intelligence surfaces a competitor capacity addition on a key MEA trade lane two weeks before it impacts your own bookings, or your fleet scenario model correctly evaluates the vessel addition economics for a proposed new service against realistic port-stay and berth-utilisation assumptions — you are not producing analysis for its own sake. You are giving the COO and regional management the quantitative clarity they need to make the right fleet, network, and cost decisions in a maritime market that rewards analytical precision and punishes operational complacency.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Excellence — Process Mapping, Benchmarking & Improvement
- Map, analyse, and benchmark processes across line operations, port operations, and feeder network management — identifying bottlenecks, standardisation gaps, and workflow inefficiencies that impair schedule reliability, vessel turnaround times, port stays, berth utilisation, and agent performance
- Implement operational improvements across workflows, schedule reliability, vessel turnaround, port stays, berth utilisation, and agent performance — translating analytical findings into concrete process improvements that reduce operational friction and improve fleet productivity
- Build and maintain a comprehensive operational KPI framework, dashboards, and reporting tools — producing monthly efficiency reports for the COO and regional management that highlight performance trends, root causes, corrective actions, and priority improvement areas
Fleet & Network Planning — Capacity, Utilisation & Scenario Modelling
- Support vessel allocation, fleet utilisation, and capacity planning across feeder and intra-regional services — monitoring port stays, slot-fill ratios, idle capacity, and deviations from plan to ensure fleet assets are deployed with optimal commercial efficiency
- Develop scenario models for vessel additions, redeployments, and service changes — providing quantitative frameworks that allow the COO and regional management to evaluate fleet investment and network reconfiguration options against realistic operational and financial assumptions
- Provide analytical support for new corridor development, trade-lane expansion, and regional business opportunities — developing business cases for new services, port calls, and network extensions considering volume potential, revenue, costs, transit times, infrastructure, and regulatory factors
Competitive Intelligence, OPEX Monitoring & Cost Benchmarking
- Maintain structured competitive intelligence on competitor services, frequencies, vessel deployments, port rotations, capacity changes, and new launches across key MEA corridors — using Alphaliner, LINERLYTICA, MDS Transmodal, and AIS tools to provide regular, actionable market insights to operational and commercial teams
- Maintain live OPEX and CIP dashboards — producing weekly budget variance reports, monitoring significant cost deviations, and conducting port-cost benchmarking that supports rotation optimisation, port-call frequency decisions, annual budgeting, and cost forecasting
- Develop land-bridge and network extension business cases — analysing the commercial viability of new routing solutions that leverage Abu Dhabi’s strategic position within MEA maritime and multimodal logistics networks
Skills & Qualifications
Essential Requirements
- Master’s degree in Maritime Studies, Supply Chain, Data Science, Business Analytics, Industrial Engineering, or a related field — with two to three years of relevant experience
- EU/EEA nationality and aged 18–28 at the start of the assignment — mandatory eligibility for the V.I.E. programme
- Advanced Excel proficiency and competence in Power BI or Tableau — for operational KPI dashboard development and management reporting
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills — with the autonomy and organisational discipline to manage multiple concurrent priorities in a fast-paced regional operations environment
- Confident communicator — entrepreneurial, adaptable, and genuinely interested in the maritime industry and MEA region
Advantageous Skills
- Knowledge of process-improvement methodologies — Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent applied to maritime or logistics operational workflows
- Familiarity with maritime intelligence platforms — Alphaliner, LINERLYTICA, MDS Transmodal, and AIS tracking tools applied to competitive intelligence and fleet monitoring
- Understanding of liner shipping economics — slot costs, port tariffs, feeder network economics, vessel charter markets, and MEA trade lane dynamics
- Experience in scenario modelling for fleet, network, or supply chain planning — quantitative business case development for capital or operational investment decisions
About This Role — Data Analytics at the Heart of MEA Maritime Expansion
This Data Analyst — Shipping Operations Region V.I.E. in Abu Dhabi places an analytically talented, entrepreneurial EU/EEA professional at the centre of one of the Middle East’s most active maritime network expansion programmes — reporting directly to the COO with the autonomy to manage operational analytics, fleet planning, competitive intelligence, OPEX monitoring, and regional business case development across key MEA shipping corridors. The combination of maritime industry exposure, senior management visibility, comprehensive analytics platform access (Power BI, Alphaliner, LINERLYTICA, AIS), and the strategic context of significant network growth makes this V.I.E. one of the most substantive and commercially relevant maritime data analytics assignments available in the Abu Dhabi market in 2026. If you are an EU/EEA national with a Master’s degree, genuine maritime curiosity, and the analytical and communication skills to deliver reliable recommendations to a COO — this assignment is the maritime career accelerator you have been looking for.
Career Excellence: Deliver COO-level maritime analytics, fleet planning, and competitive intelligence — Data Analyst Shipping Operations, Abu Dhabi UAE V.I.E. 2026.
Who Should Apply?
- EU/EEA Maritime & Shipping Analytics Graduates — 18–28: With Master’s degrees in Maritime Studies, Supply Chain, Data Science, or related fields — seeking a high-autonomy V.I.E. assignment in Abu Dhabi with direct COO reporting and genuine MEA maritime network exposure
- Power BI / Tableau Maritime Data Analysts: With Power BI or Tableau dashboard development experience applied to operational KPI monitoring, fleet performance reporting, or logistics analytics — ambitious professionals ready for senior stakeholder engagement from day one
- Fleet Planning & Capacity Analysts — Liner Shipping: With knowledge of vessel utilisation, slot-fill ratio analysis, feeder network economics, and scenario modelling — applying quantitative frameworks to real fleet allocation and network optimisation challenges
- Competitive Intelligence & Maritime Market Analysts: With Alphaliner, LINERLYTICA, or AIS platform familiarity — providing structured MEA corridor intelligence that informs commercial and operational decision-making at executive level
- Entrepreneurial EU/EEA Analysts — Abu Dhabi Maritime Opportunity: Ready to relocate to Abu Dhabi for a V.I.E. assignment combining data analytics, operational excellence, fleet planning, and competitive intelligence in one of the Middle East’s fastest-growing maritime network expansion contexts
Recently Opening Job👇
