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Associate and Master Mariner
Michael is a Master Mariner and qualified lawyer in England and Wales with over 14 years’ experience working at sea, a large portion of which was spent on Tankers. At Stann he leads on incident investigation and is a core member of the firm’s emergency response team.
Michael sailed on gas, chemical and various classes of Oil Tankers including Dynamic Positioned Shuttle Tankers. He served as Chief Officer & Senior DPO with a number of leading companies including Oil Major Chevron. As well as his experience on tankers, he also sailed on some of Europe’s largest Ro-Pax ferries and has worked as Marine Control Room Operator on a number of Oil Major operated installations in the North Sea.
Drawing from his extensive knowledge gained sailing on tankers and working within the oil and gas trade, Michael is well placed to conduct complex investigations on a range of vessels, including tanker issues, spillages and cargo incidents. He has also led on-site investigations for MARPOL breaches. He has acted as Owners Representative during a complex cargo removal & disposal project and is regularly called upon to attend a wide range of casualties which have included groundings, collisions, allisions, fatalities, fires/explosions and serious offshore incidents. His substantial knowledge and experience of onboard technology means he is very well-placed to gather technical information, produce AIS reconstructions and utilise our bespoke software suite to track and monitor client fleets.
Whilst conducting investigations, Michael is adept at building rapport and trust with those he interviews, to ensure the evidence gathered is thorough, accurate and insightful. This also applies to working alongside relevant Authorities, experts, surveyors and local lawyers, these qualities help ensure the best possible outcomes are achieved in all his cases.
Michael's Career Highlights
Michael’s experience on live incidents includes the following:
Major fire onboard loaded car carrier resulting in total loss.
The grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal.
Machinery space flooding on offshore Unit resulting in one fatality and significant asset damage.
Grounding of tanker off Colombia and associated wreck removal and recycling.
Michael’s work in this area includes:
Multi-million dollar arbitration proceedings relating to significant shore infrastructure damage.
Arbitration proceedings relating to collision in Suez Canal.
Smit Salvage BV & Ors v Luster Maritime SA & Anr (the Ever Given) 2023 EWHC.
Michael has the following experience in investigations:
Investigating an armed hijacking incident onboard Panamax bulk carrier.
Investigating an engine room fire onboard chemical tanker resulting in one fatality and significant machinery damage.
Investigating a collision between tanker and container vessel on Karnaphuli River.
MARPOL investigation onboard bulk carrier following pollution incident.
Michael’s advisory and transactional work includes:
Negotiation of various commercial towage contracts.
Assisting joint investigation team assembled by two Oil Majors following serious incident offshore.
Advising on emergency response procedures for large ship management company.
Assisting in reef damage investigation and claim negotiation.
Michael’s experience in this area includes:
Acted as Owner’s Representative during cargo removal and recycling project following serious tanker casualty.
Full review of SMS and operating procedures of prominent tanker operator following serious incident.
Recycling of chemical tanker in compliance with EU and international regulations.
Environmental compliance projects for various clients ensuring safe and compliant operations.