Master 2023-2024

Captain Geoffrey ENGLISH AFNI

Captain English was born in Gateshead, County Durham and attended schools in Newcastle and subsequently Wakefield, following a family move to Yorkshire in the mid-1960’s. After an admittedly shaky academic record at a distinguished grammar school and a less than satisfactory stint on a business studies course he came, via a thought process that still eludes him, to apply for a cadetship with the BP Tanker Company, joining the company in 1970.

There followed a sixteen year career with BP, broken by a brief interlude with Ocean Fleets Ltd. and a progression through the ranks to Chief Officer, gaining his Master’s Certificate in 1981. In 1983 he was offered the opportunity to transfer from their tanker fleet to a position in the small fleet of vessels which BP Tankers managed for the BP Exploration Company, operating in support of their North Sea operations. A short but fascinating interlude which shaped the remainder of his working life, but ended abruptly with redundancy in 1986.

This was followed by several years as a contractor in senior positions on a variety of cutting-edge offshore support vessels and a number of drilling rigs. This led to a decision to become self-employed and broaden his career and experience in the offshore oil industry, as company representative, towmaster for oil rig moves and consultant; the beginning of almost twenty-five years involvement with offshore construction projects and operations worldwide, though mainly in the North Sea, Africa and the Americas.

Shortly after moving from Yorkshire to Suffolk in 2011 he was offered a staff position as a consultant mariner and surveyor with Waves Group in London; a dynamic and expanding marine and engineering consultancy. This led to eleven fascinating years involvement with offshore windfarm and tidal energy construction projects, and also expanded into expert witness and legal work for marine casualties and disputes. In this time the company grew four-fold, he became their Marine Manager in 2016, retiring eventually in 2022.

He joined the Honourable Company in 2013, becoming a Liveryman in 2015 and a Warden in 2019. He has been married to Val for almost forty seven years and they are happily settled in Woodbridge, Suffolk. They have two sons, Hugh and Edward.