Present Employment

Since 1983, I have been self-employed as a scientific consultant/expert witness dealing with cases involving marine cargo claims. This involves writing a scientific opinion of the cause of damage based on survey reports or on my own investigations, and giving evidence in court and at arbitration proceedings.

I have carried out "on the spot" investigations into cargo damage in Japan, Venezuela, Greece, Turkey, Belgium, South Africa, Holland, Germany, Poland, in order to assess the cause of damage, and to attempt to mitigate the loss suffered as a result of damage. In 1992 I visited various regions of China (Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Liaoning, Anhui, and the ports of Xingang, Qingdao and Shanghai) in order to investigate the growing, selection, transport and storage of Chinese groundnuts for export.

I have been consulted on cases involving damage to a great variety of commodities including:

fish meal, soya beans, defatted soya meal, oilseed expellers, wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, rapeseed, milk powder, refined sugar, groundnuts, pistachio nuts, cocoa beans, bananas, pineapples, apples, potatoes, onions, dehydrated sweet potatoes, dehydrated broad beans, various frozen seafoods, including krill, paper reels, wood pulp, jute sacks, steel coils, ore concentrates, sulphur slates, fertilizer, timber, plywood.

I have given advice on precautions to be taken by a vessel's crew during and after Phostoxin fumigation of a grain cargo, on measures to be taken to avoid the inadvertent carriage of Asian Gypsy Moth egg masses on vessels carrying cargoes from Eastern Soviet ports to those of the American North West, and on the pesticide contamination of containerised Italian rice.

In 1983, I spent a month with Bureau van Ameyde, Rotterdam, marine cargo surveyors, gaining practical experience of ship types and cargoes.

From 1988 to 1995, I acted as part-time Chemicals Consultant to the Far Eastern Freight Conference, advising on the classification of chemicals and possible hazards during transport.

More recently, I have been involved at an informal level with the support of PD internet software (connection/log on scripts and configuration for alternative ISPs) and HTML validation and debugging.

Previous Employment

From 1975 to 1982 I enjoyed a career as a member of a successful musical comedy trio, Jo, Jac & Joni, living and working abroad, including television appearances in Austria, Denmark, (West) Germany, Italy, Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and a Latin American US Network, and club/theatre engagements in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Hungary, Egypt, South Africa, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

During this period, I also arranged, composed and performed music for other acts.