Consultant Marine Engineer
MEng, BEng (Hons), CEng, FIMarEST, MIFireE, FAPIEx
work
Thailand
Career Summary
John Gibson is a chartered engineer with a Combined First Class Certificate of Competency and the additional academic qualifications of an M.Eng degree, with Distinction, in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and a First Class B.Eng (Hons) degree in Mechanical and Marine Engineering. He joined Brookes Bell in 1996 as a marine consultant and has worked across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.
Background
His main area of surveying experience is with regard to damage to hull, machinery and shore installations. He has also been involved in matters relating to ship stability and structural failure, and has provided advice on a range of marine engineering-related matters. He has extensive knowledge with regard to LNG and LPG vessels, including their containment, pumping and associated equipment. John has been involved in numerous LNG containment system failures, damages and disputes. This included in service fatigue failure of Invar tanks resulting from load cycling, sloshing and thermal issues. He has also been involved in containment system repairs, inspections and maintenance, including tanks, fittings, and control and monitoring systems. Also, he has experience of re-activation, lay-up, drydocking and gas trials of LNG vessels and has been involved with Dual Fuel performance and bunker issues.
His second area of specialist activity is with condition surveys of vessels, particularly tankers and gas/chemical vessels, and he was, prior to joining Brookes Bell, involved in vetting ships for use by oil majors.
He has also undertaken investigation and provided advice on a range of matters, including collisions, fires, strandings, salvage and contractual disputes. John has also reported on fatal and non-fatal fires on vessels and is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers.
He has prepared technical reports for, and has given evidence as an expert witness in, arbitrations and at court hearings, both for the UK and Europe. John is a Supporting Member of the LMAA, a Fellow of the Asia Pacific Institute of Experts and a Member of the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration.
Before becoming a marine surveyor, John Gibson was at sea for twenty years, serving on a wide variety of vessel types, including bulk carriers, general cargo liners, and oil and gas tankers from 20,000 to 200,000 tonnes deadweight, in all ranks from cadet to senior second engineer. He has more than ten years' experience on LNG and LPG carriers, both as second engineer, and also sailing as cargo engineer, where he was responsible for the containment, pumping and associated equipment.
Professional Qualifications
- First Class Certificate of Competency (Steam and Motor).
Academic Qualifications
- Bachelor of Engineering degree with First Class Honours in Mechanical and Marine Engineering.
- Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, with Distinction.
Professional Memberships
- Chartered Engineer.
- Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.
- Fellow of the Asia Pacific Institute of Experts.
- Supporting Member of the LMAA.
- Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers.
Previous Employment History
Sea-Going Employment
- Shell Marine Personnel (IOM) Ltd. - Second engineer officer on various types of tankers, both turbine and motor, and on gas carriers. Seconded to Shell International Marine Ltd. as ship assessor during this period.
- Shell Tankers (UK) Ltd. - fifth to third engineer officer.
Surveying and Consultancy Experience
- Azimuth drive problems disputes.
- Boiler and steam plant failures.
- Bunker quality disputes.
- Cargo contamination investigations.
- Cargo damage/hatch cover leakage.
- Charterparty/latent defect disputes.
- Collisions - damage assessment and speed/angle of blow.
- Condition surveys of all vessel types.
- Container Vessel Incidents.
- Corrosion of vessels' hull structure.
- Crane and derrick condition/damage.
- Damage to harbour installations.
- Dual Fuel Vessels
- Engine damage failure investigations.
- Engine room fire investigations.
- Engine room/cargo space fires.
- Fixed blade and cp propeller failures.
- Flooding of compartments.
- Groundings.
- High-speed ferry investigations.
- Hull structural surveys and repairs.
- Ice damage to vessels' hull and propellers.
- Inert gas plants problems.
- LNG/LPG machinery failures/disputes.
- Main engine bearing/crankshaft/piston failures.
- Main engine control system defects.
- Newbuildings disputes.
- Personal injuries.
- Reefer plant failure investigations.
- Refrigerated cargo/plant damage/defects.
- Rudder and rudder horn loss.
- Sale and purchase MOA disputes.
- Salvage operations attendance.
- Speed and consumption disputes.
- Stability investigations.
- Steam turbine overspeed.
- Stern tube/tailshaft failures.
- Towing disputes.
- Turbo charger failures.
- Wreck removal and salvage investigations.