• Younger Brother of the Newcastle Trinity House
• Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute

Mike is a master mariner with experience of many vessel types including bulk carriers and crude, product and LNG tankers. He also served as chief officer onboard chemical tankers and was in command of specialist heavy-lift roll on – roll off (Ro-Ro) vessels.

As the harbour master of the Port of Tyne, Mike was responsible for the implementation and practical application of the Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC), the safety management system (SMS) and security auditing of the port. During this period the river Tyne was deepened and berths developed to accommodate larger vessels.

Mike was involved with hydrography, dredging, traffic regulation, incident investigation, maintenance of navigation marks and the establishment of the port vessel traffic service (VTS). In addition, other port projects included the setting up of practical systems for the movement, mooring and security of oil rigs, floating storage units (FSU’s) and other offshore installation vessels and barges.

As a result of the work he has carried out as harbour master he is also a lead assessor for the MCA’s Harbour Master’s Certificate course and examination.

His previous experience as the harbour master and pilot at Seaham, UK provided the background for his experience on the river Tyne. That was further strengthened by his knowledge of the rivers Humber, Trent and Ouse where as a first class pilot Mike conducted the passage of all types of vessels up to and including cape size tankers and bulk carriers. The pilotage area required the manoeuvring of vessels in strong currents, limited sea room, into and out of river terminals and enclosed dock systems.