Mark is a lawyer/master mariner with many years of shoreside experience in ship management and vetting. Mark has investigated and handled a wide range of incidents including collisions, groundings, fires and heavy weather damage. He also has experience in P&I, FDD and admiralty disputes both in the English High Court and in arbitration.
Mark’s knowledge and understanding of the shipping and admiralty sector is extensive. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mark spent over a decade at sea with Shell, serving on LNG, LPG, and oil tankers, up to the rank of chief officer. He also spent a year on secondment to Shell's Ship Quality Assurance department in London where he evaluated SIRE reports of third party vessels to assess the level of risk posed by prospective charters.
Shoreside, Mark worked as Divisional Vetting Manager at V.Ship’s head office where he oversaw vetting performance. He spent time with Norbulk Shipping, heading up their quality department, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of the Safety Management System for a fleet of approximately 80 vessels. Mark was also a member of the company's Emergency Response Team, handling the shoreside response to casualties arising within the managed fleet.
Mark is an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute and a Freeman of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners.