Academic and Professional Qualifications:

Experience:

After graduating with a first class honours degree in chemical engineering, John worked as a Research Engineer at the BP Research Centre, exploring two phase flow and the development of novel gas burners and heat exchangers. He joined Burgoynes in 1986 and became a Partner in 1997.

John has been involved in numerous marine investigations including fires on container vessels, Ro-Ro ferries, car carriers, bulk carriers, product tankers and yachts. These fires have occurred in engine rooms, accommodation, cargo tanks and holds, and containers. He has also advised on and supervised the extinguishing of fires in various cargoes. John’s primary interests are the investigation of incidents involving chemical and petrochemical plants, and he has undertaken investigations in Europe, Africa, North America, Central America, the Middle East, the Far East and Australia. He has investigated incidents caused by poor design, defective control logic, inadequate maintenance and deficient start-up and operating procedures. Most of the investigations have required a detailed analysis of the plant’s time-dependent process data.

John has considerable experience of presenting evidence in arbitrations and courts of law, particularly the High Court in the UK. He was a Visiting Lecturer in Fire Investigation at The Defence Academy, Shrivenham, between 2006 and 2008.