Maritime Expert Witnesses

This expert has been working on and with seafaring vessels for over 40 years. He graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a B.S. in Nautical Science and Marine Transportation and holds a U.S. Coast Guard Master License. A retired Captain of the Untied States Navy, he served on numerous Navy warships and was the Head of Maritime Affairs for the Chief of Naval Operations during Operations Desert Storm. Throughout his career he commanded tankers, containerships, research vessels, and high-speed ferries. After retiring from the Navy he served in multiple positions in the private sector and was the Safety Manager for Norwegian Cruise Lines. In this position he was responsible for all safety related issues in the operation of 3 US Flag large passenger ships. He was responsible for training, documentation of Standards of Training Certification and Watch Keeping, and International Safety Management compliance for ships with 3,000 passengers and crews in excess of 900 per vessel. Currently, this expert is the Director of Maritime Relations at a leading provider of private maritime safety and security solutions, while he also serves as a Maritime Nautical Inspector for the second largest open ship registry in the world, conducting safety, International Safety Management, and Port Security Inspection audits. He is also a Visiting Professor and Deck Training Officer at a major maritime academy.

This expert is well versed in all areas of maritime safety and regulation. He spent 30 years in the United States Coast Guard serving as a Boatswains Mate and Chief Warrant Officer, among other positions in operations and safety. He has conducted a myriad of law enforcement boardings to ensure vessels were in compliance with federal law and safety requirements. He is Coast Guard trained in Jones Act, OSHA Regulations, ABYC standards, and SMS (Safety Management Systems) requirements. This expert is currently a marine safety consultant at his own private consulting practice, where he advises on liability and negligence of marine equipment and behavior aboard ships.

This expert has over 50 years of experience in the fisheries industry. Most of his career was spent at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in various positions including Fisheries Economist and Project Manager. He participates in regional and international fisheries conferences and contributes specialized fisheries articles for publication in regional and international magazines on various fisheries' topics of concern to the Arab and African regions as well as for the world at large. He currently serves as a Freelance Consultant.

This expert has been working with floating drilling and production vessels for over 40 years. He completed his undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering in Hong Kong prior to earning an M.S. and Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from the University of Houston. He began his career as a Design Engineer and Computer Specialist with The Offshore Company, where for 6 years he performed analyses for the design and operation of floating drilling vessels, including conducting mooring and riser analyses. He then joined Exxon's upstream research affiliate Exxon Production Research Company, where he worked for 22 years. As a Senior Research Specialist in their Offshore Division, this expert conducted research in the areas of mooring and risers and provided technical support to Exxon's offshore operations worldwide, while he also taught internal training courses on mooring and riser systems. Furthermore he has been teaching mooring short courses at the University of Texas and in Singapore. He was the recipient of awards and honors such as the American Petroleum Institute's Citation for Distinguished Meritorious Service, DeepStar's Outstanding Contribution Award, and Who's Who in the South and Southwest. He was the chairman of API Mooring Resources Group for 24 years (1982-2006) responsible for the development of API RP 2SK (mooring design), API RP 2I (mooring inspection), and API RP 2SM (fiber rope mooring). He also played a key role in the development of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) mooring codes, which required a thorough understanding of both American and European mooring codes. Currently, this expert is a Technical Advisor for a private offshore industry consulting group, as well as an independent consultant to the offshore industry. Some of his activities in these roles have included writing mooring standards for Chevron, revising the American Bureau of Shipping Guidance Notes on Application of Fiber Rope for Offshore Mooring, and directing a joint industry project on Arctic mooring systems. He has served as a mooring expert in 7 litigation processes concerning mooring failures.

This highly qualified maritime safety expert has been captaining ships for more than 30 years. He is trained in all operations of maritime operations and safety and has instructed on ships and ship safety extensively. He currently owns his own maritime safety and transportation logistics consulting firm, where he conducts training in the class room, in ports, and aboard ships.

This cruise ship physician, trained in emergency medicine, earned his MBBS (British equivalent of MD) at London's top medical institution. He has more than 18 years of experience in acute clinical medicine and more than 7 years working in the cruise ship industry, both as shoreside management and at sea as a ship physician. He began his career as a Senior Physician at Carnival Cruise Lines, before moving on to physician leadership roles at Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Currently, this expert is a consulting physician and responsible officer for a top international cruise line.

This expert is a coastal engineer with 16 years of experience in engineering and project management. His wide-ranging expertise includes dredging and navigation studies, wave and hydrodynamic studies, beach nourishment, physical and numerical modeling, feasibility studies, design of traditional and innovative short protection structures, and coast flood plain mapping. He has considerable experience in the planning and design of coastal and marine structures, ports and harbors, marinas, and waterfront developments; and he has managed multi-discipline teams in the planning and design of high-profile international waterfront development projects. Having earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in civil engineering from the University of Delaware, this expert has held numerous coastal engineering positions throughout his career. He is currently the Senior Coastal Engineer at an independent consultancy.

This highly experienced expert has spent over 45 years in maritime-focused education, work, and consulting. He studied at Metropolitan University in London, where obtained a Master of Foreign Going degree. The expert also completed many other nautical courses and served in roles ranging from Sub-Lieutenant to Commander with the Royal Naval Reserve. He was a Chief Officer with P&O Cruises and then a Captain with Princess Cruises on worldwide itineraries. From 1995 until 2001, the expert served as Princess Cruises' Vice President of Marine Operations, responsible for the safe and efficient operation of 10 cruise ships including what was then the largest passenger ship in the world. Since 2001, he has been actively consulting in the industry.

This maritime safety and security expert spent 38 years working for the Horizon Lines / CSX Lines / Sea-Land Service entity, most recently serving as the Director of Marine Services from 1995 until 2013. In this position, he was responsible for vessel safety and security, crew management, and operations oversight. He launched an emergency response system during his tenure and also implemented new safety processes on all vessels. The expert has represented US interests at IMO and the UN on hazardous materials and freight container safety and has played a leadership role with many major industry advocacy and standards making bodies. He earned his B.S. in Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland.

This expert is a registered Professional Engineer in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio with 40+ years working in structure design for marinas and waterfront facilities. Currently, he represents clients in special projects, expert testimony, marina/waterfront design, and regulatory matters through his personal consulting business. The expert earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of South Carolina and later completed some graduate coursework in Coastal Engineering and Construction Contracts and Law at The Citadel. He is a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a Fellow in the American College of Forensic Examiners. In addition, he has presented at many waterfront/marina design seminars and has authored numerous technical articles on design issues.

This expert has a quarter century of experience in offshore and high-level onshore marine related positions in the maritime and offshore oil and gas industries. A United States Coast Guard licensed Master since 2007, her background includes operational experience on container vessels, tankers, general cargo vessels, Ro-Ros, LMSRs, research vessels, and yard patrol craft. Her knowledge base also includes extensive experience in maritime operations, safety procedures, operations, logistics, consulting, project management, damage control and training. She was a Commander in the US Navy Reserve and served in the United States Merchant Marine Program until 2011.

This highly experienced marine insurance and claims consultant began his career as a Merchant Navy Deck Officer. He went on to become a Claims Executive and eventually earned his M.A. in Maritime Policy from Greenwich University. The expert spent 12 years with CP SHIPS, where he was the Vice President of Insurance & Claims and reported to the CFO of the 80-ship company. He was a delegate to the United Nations fort the International Chamber of Shipping, where he was responsible for negotiating the precursor to The Rotterdam Rules. He also has experience as a lecturer in maritime policy courses. Currently, he is active as a maritime insurance expert witness and consultant.

This expert has over 20 years of experience as a mariner. He received a B.S. in Marine Transportation from Texas A&M University and a M.S. in Marine Management from the Maine Maritime Academy as well as a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. In addition, he served on the United States Naval Reserve for over 20 years, eventually retiring as a Commander, and trained hundreds of cadets at the Texas Maritime Academy as Commandant of Cadets. Licensed as a United States Coast Guard Master Mariner of Any Gross Tons, he served as Master on the US Training Ship Texas Clipper II and on the United States Naval Ship Sirius for Operation Katrina Relief in New Orleans, foreign flag passenger ship doing cruises to nowhere and a US research ship. He currently serves as Senior Pilot at a major seaport with approximately 5,000 ship transits and serves as a lead Instructor for a maritime academy and has developed senior level courses for captains, senior officers, and pilots.

This expert has about 40 years experience in waterway and maritime safety. He started his career working on fishing vessels before moving into the maritime government and policy work. He was the Chairperson for the Waterways Committee for the Town of Chatham in MA before moving onto the Cap Cod Commission, also managing waterway regulation. He has worked for the US Senate working on issues pertaining to the Coast Guard Budget, Fishing Vessel Safety, Challenges Facing the Coast Guard Marine Safety Program, among other issues. He has since been an independent consultant on waterway and coast guard safety.

This expert has over 35 years of engineering experience specializing in the modeling of surface water resource systems, forensic hydrology and hydraulics, and alternative flood control measures. He is also an American Academy of Water Resources recognized Diplomate as a Water Resouces Engineer. The expert has managed both flood control and water supply projects as well. As a State Board Member of the Forensic Expert Witness Association, he has demonstrated distinguished and considerable experience testifying as an expert witness on the design of stormwater control systems, and the causes of historic flood and drowning events in well over 100 cases.

This marine structures engineer earned his B.S. in Structural Engineering from Michigan State University and his M.S. in Architectural Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and Illinois, and he has also earned the ADCI Air Diver Certification at the OSHA 30-Hour Construction Safety Certification. The expert has 20 years of experience relating marine & coastal (waterfront) inspection, engineering and construction. He is currently the Principal Director for a small waterfront engineering consultancy in New York.

This qualified expert of Maritime Operations has over 25+ years of experience in the industry. He obtained his BS in Nautical Science at the Maine Maritime Academy Castine. He is a certified Master USCG and has a Liberian Unlimited License, and is currently a Captain for a Major Drilling and Rigging Company.

This expert has over 40 years of experience in maritime safety. He earned his BS in nautical science at the maine maritime academy, and has completed a number of advanced maritime safety training courses. He holds several licenses and certifications, including one as a Management and Vessel Responsible Carrier Program Auditor. He previously spent over 20 years as a master aboard numerous ocean vessels working worldwide, and then served as the principle surveyor at PRO-MAR, Inc. For the last ten years he has owned a RI marine safety consultancy.

This qualified expert has nearly 40 years of experience in the field of marine engineering. He received his LLB from the University of London before earning his MSc in engineering and management from the University of Portsmouth. He then received his LLM in maritime law from London Metropolitan University and his LLM in U.S. law from Washington University St. Louis. He is certified by the International Register of Certificated Auditors as a maritime auditor and licensed as a Class 1 MCA UK chief engineer. He is active in his field as a member of the Society of Naval Architects, the International Institute of Marine Surveying, the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, and the Institute of Marine Engineers. His former positions include staff engineer for Cunard Line, the senior surveyor and senior maritime auditor for Lloyds Register, an associate for London Offshore Consultants, and the president of A.M. Marine Surveys. Currently, this expert serves as the president of a maritime consultancy based in California.

This highly-qualified expert has over 25 years of experience in the field of marine engineering, naval architecture, and shipbuilding. He has lead teams performing analysis of stability, structure, performance, safety, and accessibility. Additionally, he works directly with shipyards throughout North America during the construction process to assess quality and schedule performance and ensure compliance with contract specifications. He earned his BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington and is a licensed professional engineer in naval architecture and marine engineering in two states. This expert is also a certified project management professional. He is active in his field as a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the American Waterways Organization. This expert currently serves as the principal in charge and technical director for a marine engineering and design firm in Washington State that he has worked with for the past 26 years.