Mr. Chris Isherwood

GI Tanker Services Ltd Expert Witness services within the tanker and oil industry.

Formed in 2024 by Frank Gallagher and Chris Isherwood to provide a suite of commercial services to the shipping (tanker) and oil sectors. Frank and Chris have known each other professionally since the 1980’s while working in London. Blending their varied and extensive experience and knowledge in the industry enables GI Tanker Services to provide the very best service to their clients.

GI Tanker Services uses its broad experience to provide Expert Witness services on behalf of Owners, Oil Majors, and Traders, instructed directly or by Solicitors or P&I Clubs. They can access and interpret reliable market data in support of their independent opinions.

They also produce reports on specific tanker-related projects, including freight strategy and analysis in most wet freight market sectors.

With considerable experience in Crude and Clean Petroleum Products FSU operations (especially where they are attached to refinery infrastructure), GI Tanker Services offers unique solutions for all commercial, operational, and integrative FSU matters.

Training, Coaching, and mentoring. We can deliver bespoke services, preferably in small classes on site or online, tailored to fit your business and team requirements.

Chris Isherwood FICS FEI
Chris’s career spans over fifty years in the oil industry where he began as a Navigating Cadet and Third Mate sailing on the first generation of VLCC’s amongst a variety of other tonnage trading in crude and refined products world-wide.

Employing his practical knowledge gained at sea, and ashore in oil companies, independent ship owners, oil refiners and trading companies Chris developed considerable experience in chartering, shipping and oil operations, demurrage and claims desks in the UK, Switzerland and the U.S.

Chris has been closely and actively involved with chartering in every sector of crude and products freight markets. Experience has been gained in fixing spot, time charter, COA’s, and Floating Storage Units of almost every type, size and sectors within crude oil, clean and dirty products markets. Diligence and clarity, particularly when fixing time charters, was one of Chris’s particular traits.

Chris has been involved in several incidents, managing the constructive total loss of the m.t. ‘Carabica’ (time-chartered) due to an explosion in the South China Sea which resulted in one fatality. In 2013, following an explosion that caused a fatality on board the m.t. ‘Harbour Krystal’ Chris led the crisis response team. Chris has been involved in commercial disputes during his career, representing both Owners and Charterers, on spot and time charter claims, primarily in arbitration but also High Court proceedings.

Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, Fellow of the Energy Institute, Member of the Baltic Exchange, Member of the Baltic Expert Witness Association, Member of the Expert Witness Institute