Marine - Maritime - Admiralty Expert Witnesses: 5

George Zeitler, MSc, has over 30 years of experience in the Marine Industry in various regulatory, management, and consulting roles. He is an Accredited Marine Surveyor (Y&SC) by the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors and a Member of the International Institute of Marine Surveying.

Background Experience - Mr. Zeitler served 18 years as a USCG Marine Inspector / Casualty Investigator, and 7 years as a Class Society principal surveyor (DNV).  He then spent 1 year as VP of Operations for a niche cruise line. Mr. Zeitler went on to serve 5 years as a technical consultant for various segments of the marine industry, including 2 years as third party environmental auditor for criminal pollution cases. He has been an Accredited Yacht and Small Craft Surveyor for over 15 years. 

In 2002, Mr. Zeitler formed Zeitler Marine Services (ZMS), using his experience and knowledge to offer condition and valuation (pre-purchase and insurance) and damage survey services to the yachting and recreational boating communities in south Florida. He is currently the Director of the Chapman School of Seamanship Yacht and Small Craft survey course.

Litigation Support - Mr. Zeitler uses his vast experience verifying Compliance with Applicable Maritime Laws / Regulations through on site surveys and audits of client's vessels. His years of operational and regulatory enforcement help provide clients with a unique perspective that is key in identifying vulnerabilities onboard vessels as well as gaps in policies and procedures. He functions as a Court Appointed Monitor in situations where vessel operators are negotiating a plea agreement for a DOJ-approved Environmental Compliance Programs.

Areas of Expertise:

• Vessel Design and Construction
• Vessel Compliance with International and US Laws and Regulations
• Compliance with Federal and Voluntary (ABYC) Standards for Yachts and Small Craft
• Casualty Investigation
• Vessel Operations
• Cruise Ship Management, Operation, and Safety
• Environmental Compliance and Auditing

Dr. Alan Steinman is an expert in Maritime Medicine with particular emphasis on Sea-Survival, Drowning and Hypothermia. He has served as Surgeon General and Director of Health and Safety for the U.S. Coast Guard, as medical advisor to the Coast Guard's Chief of Operations, and as rescue physician on numerous Coast Guard search and rescue missions. He has an international reputation in hypothermia and cold-water survival.

Dr. Steinman is widely published in the field of environmental medicine, including a chapter on immersion hypothermia in a leading textbook of emergency medicine. His research into human cold-water immersion and hypothermia merited the prestigious Arnold D. Tuttle Award from the Aerospace Medicine Association. The results from his human hypothermia studies contributed to the basis of current U.S. Coast Guard cold-water survival time charts.

Dr. Steinman is Board Certified in Occupational Medicine; he is a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine. His Doctor of Medicine degree is from the Stanford School of Medicine; his post-graduate medical training was at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Dr. Steinman has experience in both federal and state courts serving as an expert witness in numerous cases involving sea-survival, drowning, and hypothermia.

Smith Aquatic Safety Service (SASS) was created in 1981, upon Dr. Smith's retirement from 25 year's service in the U.S. Coast Guard, to provide aquatic safety training. At retirement Dr. Smith was Chief, 2nd Coast Guard Boating Safety Division, St. Louis, MO, responsible for all federal boating safety activities in 15 primary states.

Litigation Support - In 1981 Dr. Smith first testified as an expert. Both aspects of SASS have grown markedly, with Dr. Smith being retained in hundreds of legal cases, for plaintiff and defense while also training thousands of aquatic safety/rescue personnel. He has been qualified in numerous state and federal court cases as a boating accident reconstructionist.

SASS provides consultation and related services to law firms in aquatics cases, plus water rescue and boating safety training seminars for fire, police, lifeguarding and EMS providers throughout North America.

Areas of Expertise:

Drowning Boat Collisions Diving  Personal Watercraft (PWC’s)  Personal Flotation Devices (PFD’s) Rules of the Road Alcohol

Hypothermia Pool and Beach Design Life Guarding and Supervision Water Skiing and Tubing Dams Rafting Environmental Stressor

Gerald (Gerry) Nielsen, PMP,  founder of Ocean Ridge Maritime, is a Project Management Professional with over 35 years of experience in the Commercial Maritime, Offshore, and Cruise Industries. Mr. Nielsen serves as an Expert Witness, Consultant, Project Manager, Surveyor, and Auditor for the Maritime and Offshore Industries. 

A Project Management Professional (PMP) certification combined with a background that includes a USCG Chief Engineers license and experience in ISM/ISO Auditing, Marine Surveying, and Emergency Response, Mr. Nielsen provides professional and personalized service and support when  needed.  

Past Positions Include: 

• Rig Assurance, Preservation (Stacking), and Reactivations - Transocean Offshore Drilling
• Global Consulting Operations (VP) - ABS Nautical Systems
• Maritime Audit Services (Director) - Carnival Corporation
• Environmental and Safety Management (Director) - Cunard Line Limited
• Designated Person Ashore - Cunard Line and Seabourn Cruise Line
• New Construction Surveyor - American Bureau of Shipping
• ISM / ISO Auditor - American Bureau of Shipping
• Shipboard Engineer - Exxon Shipping Company and Global Marine Drilling

Litigation Support: Since the Exxon Valdez incident and response, through development of DOJ mandated Compliance Programs, to conducting ECP Audits as Third Party Auditor, Mr. Nielsen has been providing consulting services related to litigation.  In recent years, Ocean Ridge Maritime has been engaged for Jones Act Injury Cases, Regulatory (Environmental) Compliance Audits, Technical Opinions related to Oil Spill damages, and MARPOL Compliance.

Areas of Expertise:

PMI certified Project Management Professional Offshore Project Assurance / Acceptance Testing Marine and Offshore Survey Project Assurance and Commissioning

Asset Management and Maintenance Systems Risk Assessments / Audit Plan Development Safety Management System Development EHS Management Regulatory Compliance

View Ocean Ridge Maritime's Consulting Profile.

Gregory T. Davis is an internationally recognized expert in Marine Forensics and Marine Survey. He has over 40 years of experience as a Professional Marine Surveyor and Investigator, and is the founder and President of Davis & Company, Ltd. the nation's leading marine survey and loss investigation firm.

Mr. Davis was formerly Senior Managing Consultant with Engineering Systems Inc. (ESi) and Director of the Marine Practice Group. His firm, Davis Marine Consulting Associates, LLC, formed in June of 2018, offers professional services to a wide variety of clients, for investigations related to Marine Accidents that range from recreational and commercial watercraft design and loss evaluations to marina operations. 

Mr. Davis is a Fire and Explosion Investigator certified by the National Association of Fire Investigators, and a Marine Surveyor certified by the National Association of Marine Surveyors, Inc., He is a ‘Special Expert’ on NFPA 303 “Marinas and Boatyards,” and is NTSB training certified in Marine Accident Investigation. 

He is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), serving on their O-45 Fire Protection and Safety Panel and is Chair of the MF10 Small Boat Forensics Panel. He is a member of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), having served on their Board of Directors and is currently serving on the Technical Board.

Mr. Davis has been recognized by Marquis Publications with their “Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award” and by Lawyer Monthly magazine within their “2019 Expert Awards”.

Litigation Support - Mr. Davis offers comprehensive, project specific expert witness services to help identify project goals and issues. His service are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. General areas of specialization include: 

• Marine Forensics and Marine Survey
• Marine Accident Investigation and Reconstruction
• Failure Analysis, Safety Assessments, and Risk Analysis
• Marine Fire and Explosion Origin and Cause

Specific Areas of Expertise:

Marina Operations Standards and Design Considerations Navigation Rules Accident Investigation and Reconstruction Personal Watercraft (jet ski) Collisions and Allisions Longshore and Harbor Worker Injury Crew Injury Marine Fires and Explosions Passenger Injury Intact and Damage Stability Analysis Repair and Construction Contract Dispute

Salvage Engineering Vessel and Crew Safety Structural Analysis of Hulls Cargo Damage and Loss Marine Safety and Security Risk Analysis / Product Risk Assessment Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Marine Product Safety Assessment Marine Equipment Evaluation Cargo Rigging and Handling, Heavy Lift Standards Compliance