Executives Expertise and Experience

Captain Charles Reid – Managing Director

Charles has taken over from Keith as MD since February 2015.
He has a Class 1 Deck Officer Certificate of Competency (Master Mariner) and a BComm Degree.
With 35 years of experience in the Maritime industry, he spent 20 years with Safmarine at sea and ashore, and then expanded into consultancy.
In Safmarine he planned Container vessel loading and discharge as well as serving as a Supercargo on RoRo’s on the South African coast. Whilst ashore he oversaw the distribution and movement of containers in the Far East and USA operations and then moved on to become Operations and New Business Manager in Safmarine’s in-house NVOCC.
He was a founding member and Director of Cargosuite, an internet-based NVOCC, specialising in systems development and operations.

Captain Keith Burchell – Executive Director

Keith has 49 years of experience in the maritime industry and is a registered IMO consultant.  He was employed for 28 years by Portnet, now the Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) of SA.
Keith has key experience in the area of Port Operations, in particular in working on the Maritime Strategy for East Africa which included assessing all the Marine and Cargo Operations of all the East African Coastal and Inland Ports, and secondly from his experience as the Marine Operations Specialist on the development of a Master Plan for Namport.
Other experience includes Lighthouse Services, Radio Navigation planning, Vessel Traffic Management and Information systems in SA ports, Tug operations, Pilotage and Port Captain.

Captain Neil Lawson – Executive Director

Neil has a Class 1 Deck Officer Certificate of Competency (Master  Mariner) with 48 years experience in the Maritime Industry, mainly  with Safmarine and Maersk.
He has over 30 years experience as a Ships Master in various kinds of bulk, container, liner, and general cargo vessels and on various  trade routes into and out of South African and East African Ports, including Indian Ocean Trades to Indian Ocean Islands and  Australia and Asia.  His practical experience will be available to the team in respect of Vessel Operations,Port Design and Security related to the latest regulations, vessel types and their operational capabilities.

Mr Phillip Burchell – Chairman

Phillip Burchell Qualified as a Building Surveyor in 1981 did various work in the construction industry eventually starting his own construction company together with his brother in 1990. He then diversified into the bulk liquor industry owning two bottle stores in 1996. In 2000 he started a wine sales and distribution company which is still highly successful today. Mostly involved on the financial side of various entrepreneurial  successful business ventures.
He brings a diversified business acumen to the team.

Contact Information

BMC Africa – Burport Marine Consultancy (Africa) Pty Ltd.

Contact:  (+27) 84 729 1672

Cape Town, Republic of South Africa