Unique Expertise for
Difficult Problems

Naval architecture, salvage engineering, and marine consulting with over two decades of experience in the Coast Guard and private sector.

Services

Naval Architecture

Consulting naval architecture and marine engineering services for vessels ranging from dry docks and deep-draft cargo ships to small passenger sailing vessels. Services include stability and structural analysis, general arrangements, structural fire protection, and evacuation arrangements for new construction and vessel modifications, with regulatory review and approval support. Clients include Glosten, Crowley Engineering, All American Marine, and others.

Salvage Engineering

On-call salvage engineering and marine casualty response. Over 75 private-sector casualty responses including bulk carriers, tugs, barges, and fishing vessels. Previously led the Coast Guard's Salvage Engineering Response Team, guiding field commanders through approximately 60 casualties per year. Notable cases include Deepwater Horizon, MODU Kulluk, and Cougar Ace.

GHS & Stability Training

Custom GHS courses delivered worldwide since 2009, with over 50 classes taught. Curricula range from basic to advanced topics including grounding analysis, multi-body interactions, and probabilistic damage. Courses are tailored to your team's projects and billed on a simple day rate for up to 12 students. Clients include the US Coast Guard, US Navy, ABS, LOC, Glosten, Jensen Maritime, Crowley, and Vigor.

Marine Forensics

Expert forensic analysis for marine casualty investigations and litigation support. Specialized expertise in complex stability failures, damage stability, and loss-of-stability scenarios. Advanced progressive flooding simulation and time-domain analysis are used to evaluate casualty sequences, contributing factors, and probable outcomes.

About

Brian Thomas

Brian Thomas is a naval architect and salvage engineer with over two decades of experience serving the marine industry for the United States Coast Guard and in private practice. He is an recognized expert in GHS and has broad expertise in domestic passenger vessel regulations. Before founding Thomas Naval Architecture in 2014, Brian led the Coast Guard's Salvage Engineering Response Team, guiding decision makers responding to marine casualties nationwide.

  • B.S. Naval Architecture, U.S. Coast Guard Academy — with High Honors
  • M.S. Naval Architecture & M.S. Mechanical Engineering, MIT
  • Licensed Professional Engineer in New York and Virginia
Resume (PDF)

Get in Touch

Email

Brian@ThomasNavArch.com