Maritime Research & Studies

There is an old Navy saying that distinguishes boats from ships – you can put a boat on a ship, but you cannot put a ship on a boat.  CED engineers are experts in both boats (marine) and ships (maritime).  Boating accidents oftentimes have several contributing factors ranging from equipment design, failure, to operator error.  The military typically classifies accidents as ‘Mishaps,” as they could have been prevented.  This is the world of CED engineers – investigating failures and reconstructing accidents to determine contributing factors and root cause.  CED mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, civil engineers, material scientists and biomechanical engineers are all familiar with and experienced in the marine environment.  Our experts have worked on claims and legal cases ranging from jet skis to commercial freighters.

In all investigations it is important that the engineering expert possess the correct engineering credentials to qualify them to work on a case.  However, in marine/maritime cases, the expert must also be experienced with working in the admiralty environment.  The unique hazards and operational challenges that exist on the ocean or inland waterways require an expert that has trained and worked in marine settings and who is familiar with the subtle and not-so subtle variances of this environment.  A group of United States Naval Academy professors and instructors, who served much of their duty at sea and in a marine construction and maintenance environment originally formed CED. This marine/maritime knowledge and experience of many of our engineers is measured in decades.

CED engineers have amassed thousands of hour’s on vessel/ship design, maintaining marine engines and equipment and navigating boats and ships throughout the world’s waterways.  As forensic engineers, they have investigated boats and ships involving hull design and structural integrity.  Personal injury is oftentimes an end result of marine/maritime accidents.  In this regard, CED engineers are put to work to determine product liability in machinery failure and associated maintenance or possible contributing human factors.

In the marine world, CED has been contracted by standards organizations to execute U.S. Coast Guard grants to investigate the human factors associated with propeller strike accidents as well as analysis into the perception and reaction time as related to operator throttle control on recreational marine boats.

In the maritime world, CED has worked on cases ranging from slip and falls on ships to cargo machinery failure or rules of road/navigation issues.  As many of these cases fall under the Jones Act, admiralty litigation usually requires an expert with significant marine/maritime experience.  Some of this work involves shipyard work and associated OSHA compliance.