Managing Master Mariner
BSc (Hons), MNI, WISTA, HCMM
work
Liverpool
Career Summary
Karley Smith is a Master Mariner and Dynamic Positioning Operator (DPO). She joined Brookes Bell in 2022 and was promoted to Managing Master Mariner in 2024. Karley worked for 11 years in the Offshore Oil & Gas sector and latterly sailed as Chief Officer in the private superyacht sector. During her 16-year career at sea, she served on various ship types including superyacht, deep-water drillships, diving support vessels, multi-purpose ROV, platform supply vessels, Ro-Ro, product tankers and nuclear fuel carriers.
Background
Previously, Karley worked as a Deck Officer and DPO, completing charters for both the Renewable Energy and the Oil & Gas sectors. As a DPO she worked on projects involving wind farm construction, operations and maintenance, subsea construction, supply, survey and ROV operations, saturation diving and deep-water drilling, accumulating over 6000 DP hours.
In 2020, Karley diversified and joined a new build project for an exploration 140m motor yacht. She led the Bridge and Navigation equipment commissioning and acceptance tests, which included ECDIS, oversaw the sea trials and was involved in the preparation for the initial Flag State and Class surveys, including the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate. Karley has recent experience working on a variety of vessels where ECDIS was the primary means of navigation.
Since 2015, Karley has worked as a part-time Lecturer at Fleetwood Nautical College in the Blended Learning department.
After completing her Deck Officer cadetship training, she was awarded the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Officer Trainee of the Year Award for 2010 and subsequently attained a First-Class Honours Degree at Liverpool John Moores University.
Karley has carried out a variety of survey and opinion-based work since joining Brookes Bell; these are listed at the end of this CV. In addition, Karley has presented lectures for the Nautical Institute on ECDIS and has written an article on ECDIS. Karley has also presented to P&I Clubs and shipping companies on lithium-ion batteries, vehicles and the challenges, and written an article on lithium battery fires and superyachts for a yacht management company.
Karley has prepared technical reports and given evidence as an expert witness in Arbitration proceedings in the UK.
Professional Qualifications
- Master – Unlimited – II/2
- Dynamic Positioning Operator - Unlimited
Academic Qualifications
- BSc (Hons) Nautical Science – 1:1
Professional Associations
- The Nautical Institute (Member)
- Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (Member)
- Member of Honourable Company of Master Mariners (HCMM)
- Younger Brother of Trinity House
Previous Employment History
- Private 140m Motor Yacht - Chief Officer/First Officer/Second Officer
During the yard period of the build, Karley developed the vessel’s SMS including emergency response and bridge procedures. As the responsible Officer for Bridge commissioning and customer acceptance tests, Karley sailed as Navigation Officer following the delivery of the superyacht, responsible for familiarising Officers with all Bridge systems including ECDIS.
As Safety Officer, Karley was responsible for all safety related aspects including conducting crew training and drills. Karley later sailed as Chief Officer, assisting in the management of two major maintenance and refit periods, including drydocking.
- Stena Drilling Ltd – Dynamic Positioning Officer
Karley sailed as a DPO on DP Class 3 drillships, completing drilling campaigns off West Africa and South America. Responsibilities including monitoring the vessel’s Fire and Gas system, responding to and initiating emergency procedures, coordinating and controlling all vessel movements within the 500m zone, along with all helicopter arrivals and departures from the vessel. Additionally, Karley assisted with the workscope during the 5-yearly Special Purpose Survey (SPS).
- Subsea 7 Ltd – Second Officer DPO
Served as a Second Officer DPO on DP Class 2 and 3 vessels during saturation diving, ROV operations and survey touch-down monitoring for pipelay operations. Karley was also Navigation Officer and in addition, assisted with the workscope during the 10-year drydocking of a multi-purpose ROV vessel.
- Sealion Shipping Ltd – Chief Officer cover/Second Officer DPO
Served as Second Officer DPO on various DP Class 2 multi-purpose and platform supply vessels worldwide, as senior bridge-watchkeeper, navigating officer and ship security officer. This also involved operating both dry and wet bulk cargo systems during operations with offshore installations and alongside in port. Karley later covered the Chief Officer position on a multi-purpose vessel, which included a drydocking and maintenance period.
- Stena Line – Second Officer
Karley carried out all duties associated with the job responsibilities of a Second Officer. Additionally, she was employed to write the drydock report for the vessel’s docking at Belfast Harland and Wolfe ship repair yard.
Surveying and Consultancy Experience
Damage to and/or loss involving:
- Port structure assessment following vessel contact
- Assessment following lifting failure
- Steel cargo – Damage and wetting
- Timber products
- Scrap cargoes
- Battery energy storage systems
Investigation into and providing expert opinion on:
- ECDIS, VDR, AIS and MADAS analysis of collisions and groundings
- Bulk cargoes – wetting of cargo
- COVID Protocol
- Crane matters and lifting failures - including the operation of and best practice by the crew and/or stevedores
- Dynamic Positioning incidents
- Lashing and securing of breakbulk, steel and aluminium on bulk carriers
- Mooring arrangements
- MSG Prospector AIS playback analysis
- Personal injuries offshore
- ROV and survey equipment loss
- Scrap cargoes
- Speed and consumption performance disputes
- Superyacht new build and warranty disputes
- Unsafe port disputes
- Vessel redelivery disputes
- Weather routing and Passage Planning