Capt. John Kavanagh

Captain John Kavanagh is a Legal Practitioner, Master Mariner and Maritime Auditor. After obtaining his Master’s Certificate of Competency and achieving command, John has focused on maritime law, auditing and consultancy.

John has more than 30 years’ experience in the maritime industry across a broad range of sectors, including merchant shipping, dredging, government, defence and commercial law.

John:

• worked in all merchant navy ranks from Deck Cadet to Master;
• served on the largest vessel ever to fly the Australian Red Ensign, the MV Iron Pacific;
• worked on some of the largest marine projects in Australia, including the Wheatstone LNG Project in Western Australia and the Ichthys LNG Project in Darwin; and
• is currently serving as a reservist in the Royal Australian Navy.

John’s earlier seagoing career was with BHP Transport, where he served as a deck officer on bulk carriers, oil tankers, LNG tankers and chemical tankers.

Since moving ashore, John has held roles in the corporate and government sectors. John was a senior executive at Maritime Safety Queensland and honed his skills as a litigator at McCullough Robertson Lawyers in Brisbane.

At Maritime Safety Queensland, the Queensland Government maritime regulator, John held the roles of Executive Director Maritime Services, Acting Regional Harbour Master in Gladstone and Acting Vessel Traffic Services Manager in Brisbane.

John is a prize winner in several areas, including seamanship, shipping casualty response, legal services and regulatory compliance. With broad experience across a wide range of operational, legal and management roles, John has a well-rounded, mature, and informed approach to the maritime industry and can be relied upon to deliver quality advice and practical solutions. As one of only a handful of Master Mariner lawyers in Australia, John brings practical experience, commercial expertise, and legal knowledge to complex maritime matters.

His significant experience includes:

• acting in relation to ship repair claims, including defective paint claims;
• advising on and preparing vessel chartering contracts;
• acting in the purchase of multi-million-dollar vessels; and
• defending statutory demands and winding-up applications involving maritime businesses.

In addition to his Master Unlimited Certificate of Competency issued by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, John holds a Diploma of Applied Science in Nautical Science from the Australian Maritime College, a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from Deakin University and a Graduate Certificate in Military Law from the Australian National University. John holds an unrestricted practising certificate as a legal practitioner in Queensland and is also admitted as a legal practitioner to the High Court of Australia. John is certified by the International Register of Certificated Auditors as a Maritime Safety Management System Auditor and is an active member of the Royal Australian Navy Reserve.

John was appointed as a Notary Public in New South Wales in 2023.