Tanker and Bluewater Casualty Expert Witness
An ocean-going ship is a small, self-contained world, and the master answers for all of it. Captain Stoller held that job. He commanded Exxon crude oil tankers in the Alaska trade after rising through every deck rank, and he knows what a master is expected to see, decide, and document.
He reviews ocean-going casualties and crew injury claims for plaintiff and defense counsel, including cases involving foreign-flag ships calling at U.S. ports.
Issues Captain Stoller evaluates
- Groundings, collisions, and heavy weather damage
- Cargo and ballast operations on tank vessels
- Bridge team practice, passage planning, and the master and pilot exchange
- Mooring and terminal operations
- Crew injury on ocean-going ships: training, supervision, and safe work practice
- Oil pollution prevention procedures
- Fleet safety management under the ISM Code
Why his background fits
He sailed thirteen years with one of the largest tanker operators in the world, from third mate to Master Mariner Unlimited. He knows how a well-run ship runs day to day, which is the baseline every bluewater case is measured against.
Documents to gather
Deck and bridge logs, passage plan, bell book, voyage data recorder data, ECDIS and AIS records, SMS procedures and checklists, crew training records, port state control and class reports.
Common questions
Does it matter that the ship was foreign-flagged?
It can affect which laws and standards apply. The operational questions about what a prudent master would have done stay the same.
How soon should the voyage data recorder be secured?
Immediately. Recorder data can be overwritten, so counsel should send a preservation letter right away.
Can he work from records alone?
Often yes. A vessel visit helps when the condition of equipment or the layout of a workspace is in dispute.
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