Senior Scientist
BSc(Hons), MRSB, MIFST, MISTC
work
London
Career Summary
Chris Ellyatt is a scientist with a BSc (Hons) Degree in Biology from the University of St Andrews. Prior to joining Brookes Bell in 2022, Chris worked for seven years for another leading marine consultancy based in London, specialising in forensic investigation of marine cargo related incidents.
Background
As a Cargo Scientist, he has extensive expertise and hands-on experience in agricultural commodities, including bulk grain, feeds, frozen and fresh cargoes in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia. Specifically, he has comprehensive experience and knowledge with soya beans, maize/corn, wheat, bagged and bulk rice, seedcakes (including Distillers’ Dried Grains with Solubles [DDGS] and soya bean meal [SBM]), bagged and bulk sugar, coffee, cocoa beans and other dry cargoes. Chris has also performed and managed on-site sampling and inspections of olive margine, citrus fruits, bananas and fish in addition to the cause and effects of wetting and mould damage to product packaging.
Since becoming a Marine Consultant, Chris has worked on a wide variety of vessel types, including geared and non-geared bulkers, reefer vessels, container ships and barges. He has also performed many inspections and sampling operations in shoreside facilities. Typical issues that Chris has dealt with have included wetting, mould growth, self-heating, fumigation issues, fire and explosions, cargo liquefaction, physical and biological contamination, mycotoxins, infestations, inherent vice, quality issues and shortage. Chris is familiar with the sampling protocols of many commodities, including those of GAFTA, ISO and FOSFA, often advising clients on analysis methods and interpretation of results.
Furthermore, Chris has experience in authoring expert reports and has given evidence as an expert witness during Court proceedings in China, ultimately contributing towards a favourable judgement for his client. He has also provided expert evidence during High Court proceedings in London. He believes in providing clear, productive and pragmatic advice to his clients and presenting the details of a situation in a concise and accurate manner to achieve practical outcomes.
Chris is a fully elected member of the Royal Society of Biology, the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators and the Institute of Food Science and Technology. He has also been selected as a volunteer member of the Institute of Food Science and Technology Scientific Committee.
Academic Qualifications
- BSc (Hons) in Biology (University of St Andrews, Scotland)
Professional Memberships
- Member of the Royal Society of Biology
- Member of the Institute of Food Science and Technology
- Member of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators
Surveying and Consultancy Employment
- Senior Scientist at Brookes Bell
- Managing Scientist at Brookes Bell
- CWA International Ltd (UK) – Scientist in the Food and Agricultural Commodities Department
Surveying and Consultancy Experience
Survey and consultancy examples include, but not limited to:
- Damage to soya bean cargoes in China, Brazil, Egypt, Italy, Spain and the US, including the effects of condensation and ventilation procedures, self-heating, mould growth, foreign matter contamination and fire/explosion damage
- Transhipment operation of soya beans in South Africa
- On board and warehouse inspections of bagged and bulk rice cargoes in Thailand, Guinea, Liberia, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Benin and the Ivory Coast
- Salvage sale operations of bagged rice in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Wet damage and odour issues to wheat cargoes in Bangladesh and Spain
- Inspections and sampling of wheat cargo in Egypt and fumigation explosion
- Surveys, sampling operations and mycotoxin / aflatoxin analysis in maize / corn cargoes both on board and in warehouses in Egypt, Belgium and Turkey
- Inspections, sampling and analysis to a cargo of DDGS in Egypt after cargo fire
- Inspections of breakbulk frozen fish in Ghana following grounding of vessel
- Joint inspections and sampling of bagged sugar cargoes in Kenya and Sudan
- Joint inspection of containerised and break-bulk cargoes of citrus fruits, including oranges, mandarins, lemons and grapefruit in The Netherlands
- Sampling and inspection of soya bean meal (SBM) in Gdynia, Poland after voyage delay
- Inspections of banana cargoes on board, at warehouses and ripening facilities in Poland and Slovenia, examining chill damage (UPD), mixed ripening and various infections
- Representative sampling and inspection of bagged raw green coffee beans in Slovenia
- On board and shoreside inspections of mould damaged packaging to apple juice concentrate in Delaware and Massachusetts, USA
- Cargo liquefaction of a novel bulk cargo derived from olive oil production in Tunisia
- Inspections of containerised and palletised dried figs with alleged moth infestations in the UK
- Forensic inspection and analysis in deterioration of containerised wheat in Portbury, UK
- Providing expert witness evidence in the High Court of England and Wales Commercial Court regarding alleged damage to a cargo of cocoa beans shipped in containers