Maritime & Environmental Consultants is a unique, service-oriented company providing experts in all marine disciplines to both the maritime industry and the legal profession. Now three years old, MEC has seen business increases of 50% last year and another 43% the first half of this year..
Although the founder, Captain Kirk Greiner, USCG (Ret), does consulting himself, the company is basically a referral agency with more than 600 Associates from which to draw. In instances where none of these Associates has a suitable discipline for the needs of the client, access to major computer databases, including many within the federal government can provide sources for additional experts. The recommendation of an expert is made by Captain Greiner personally. Captain Greiner’s background as a marine safety expert in the Coast Guard and his training as an attorney makes him uniquely qualified to assist the client in obtaining the best qualified person available.
MEC also provides other services, including information searches. Recent requests for information resulted in searches of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health database, the Transportation Research Information Service database and the National Technical Information Service database among others. One search found numerous documents for an attorney regarding problems associated with concrete drydocks. The client said the information was worth $5000 to him, but MEC’s charge was around $100. MEC also furnished the client with an Associate to provide experience in concrete drydocks.
In addition to the ability to do searches for clients on information contained in hundreds of governmental and private databases, MEC now has the added telecommunications capability to access the Automated Notice to Mariners System (ANMS). This series of Programs is maintained by the Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic/Topographic Center.
Information available through ANMS includes a summary of extracts of chart corrections back to 1975 by chart number, chart corrects by selected ports, warning broadcasts affecting a subregion of the world, warning broadcasts for a NAVAREA, summary of in force warnings messages by year, text of a particular radio navigational aids which are published in the seven volume DMA List of Lights, oil rigs locations by name, or geographic area, and anti-shipping activity by region or by date.
The charge for the referral of an Associate is $50 whether the expert is used or not. However, if MEC is advised that the expert is not found qualified when the client interviews him or her, no charge is made. Costs for database searches for material relating to the needs of a client typically run under $100.
MEC Associates have been used inmost of the recent major marine casualties. Perhaps today they can help you.
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