Ralph Becker Heins

Ralph Becker Heins

Born in 1966 in Germany, Professor Captain Ralph Becker-Heins discovered his enthusiasm for the ‘salty element’ during childhood. After completing grammar school, he enrolled in the German Navy (1986) as a mine clearance diver and subsequently officer on mine hunting vessels.

During this period, he successfully completed studies in Aerospace Engineering and, after completion of his service, another in Nautical Sciences. Changing to the Merchant Marine, he moved through the ranks and became Ship Master before returning to shore in 1996 as a Crew Manager in Limassol, Cyprus.

In late 1998, back in Germany, Ralph established his first company MSG MarineServe, a classroom training provider. Parallel to this, three years later in 2001, he was appointed as ordinary Professor at the University of Applied Sciences at Bremen, specialising in Ship Navigation, and Ralph was additionally appointed Honorary Professor at the Kherson State Maritime Academy (Ukraine) in 2009.

During the same year Ralph founded his second company – Safebridge, a corporation engaged in maritime digital human resource competence management, business fields of which encompassed online competence assessment, online training, and a platform for digital certificates. In Spring 2021 the Safebridge group of companies was sold, and Ralph released his position as CEO.

He stayed true in his passion for the sea and continues to operate some commercial charter-yachts, and remains active as a maritime technical book author and senior advisor to the industry.

He is the author of ‘Voyage Planning with ECDIS’ and ‘ECDIS Basics’.

In 2023, he published a new title: “IBS Basics – A Practical Guide to Integrated Navigation and Bridge Systems”.