A Brief CV of Key Personnel
Nigel Rogers
Nigel is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Fellow (and former Chairman) of the Association of Average Adjusters. With over 30 years experience in marine claims, Nigel has dealt with all types of marine risks including energy, shipyards, yachts, liabilities, project cargo etc. as well as ocean-going hull, and he has also conducted claims reviews and audits and acted as an expert witness. He is a frequent lecturer, has served on various insurance market committees (including that responsible for the recent revision of the ship construction risks clauses) and is the co-author of "A Guide to Marine Hull Insurance Claims".
John Ahern
John is a Fellow and current Vice Chairman of the Association of Average Adjusters. During a career spanning over 40 years, with particular experience of the shipping and insurance markets of the UK, S.E Asia, Australasia and Middle East regions, John has gained extensive experience in the adjustment of many and varied claims in the marine and energy sector. These include tugs, offshore supply vessels, DP vessels, semi-submersible drilling rigs/drilling and crane barges, dumb barges, cable laying and seismic survey vessels, ROV`s, sea ploughs and seismic streamers. He is the co-author of A Guide to Marine Hull Insurance Claims.
Tony Hazell
Tony acts as a consultant to R& B. He has over 20 years experience in energy claims both as an adjuster and also as a senior figure within the energy insurance market in London. He has frequently acted as a spokesman for the London Market on energy related issues and has also carried out expert witness work. He is a Chartered Claims Practitioner and Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Ray Luukas
Ray Luukas, a Chartered Engineer with a First Class Certificate of Competency and a First Class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering, joined Brookes Bell in 1992 and has been a partner since 1997 and Managing Partner since 2007. Before joining the company, Ray was at sea over a 14-year period serving on a variety of ships in all ranks up to and including Chief Engineer. He has investigated many marine casualties, including collisions, groundings, salvage, fires, hull and machinery related matters and repair disputes. He has attended court and arbitration as an expert witness.
David Burbridge
David Burbridge joined Brookes Bell in 2003 and became an partner in 2006. David has in excess of 20 years` experience as a Marine Engineer Surveyor principally in the field of hull and machinery surveys. He has extensive experience attending and investigating many major casualties including fire and explosions, groundings and salvage, collisions, losses due to sinking, hull structure failures and serious machinery failures.
John Gibson
John Gibson, a Marine Engineer with a combined First Class Certificate of Competency, a first class honours degree in Mechanical and Marine Engineering and a Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, joined Brookes Bell in 1996 and became a partner in 2001. With a career at sea spanning more than 20 years in ranks up to and including Senior Second Engineer and Cargo Engineer, and ashore in ship vetting for an oil major, John has considerable LNG, LPG and oil tanker experience. His main work involves casualty investigations, surveys and machinery salvage and repair disputes, on a wide variety of ship types including oil and gas tankers, general cargo and bulk carriers. He is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers and has carried out fire investigation work. John has acted as expert witness in court and arbitration hearings.
Brian Boorman
Brian Boorman, a Chartered Engineer with an Extra First Class Certificate of Competency (Steam & Motor), joined Brookes Bell as a Partner in 2008, having gained extensive surveying and consultancy experience over 21 years with three London based consultancies. Brian sailed in all ranks up to and including Chief Engineer and sailed on general cargo, tanker, container and small bulk carrier vessels propelled by steam turbines, slow and medium speed diesel engines. He also has experience as a superintendent engineer in the operation, management and maintenance of a group of tankers. He has considerable experience of investigating casualties and has been involved in disputes concerning new buildings/conversions of: specialist drill ships, a multipurpose shuttle tanker/drill ship and a specialist pipe laying vessel. He has given expert witness evidence in the high court and in arbitration, has acted as an independent technical assessor and has sat as an arbitrator on several occasions.
Ken Kirby
Dr. Ken Kirby, a Metallurgist with an honours degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science and a PhD in Metallurgy, joined Brookes Bell in September 2006. Prior to joining Brookes Bell, Ken worked for 10 years as a Research and Development Metallurgist where his work focused on developing new processing and production techniques for ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. He has provided expert opinions of metallurgist analysis, failure investigation and the properties and processing of mineral cargoes for numerous claims.
Richard Gains
Richard Gains, a Master Mariner, joined Brookes Bell in 1998, from a position as Master of large bulk carriers trading worldwide, and became a partner in 2004. During his twenty-two years at sea, he served on numerous ship types, including passenger vessels, gas, oil and product tankers and general cargo vessels, as well as bulk carriers, including berthing at offshore loading facilities. He specialises in a range of nautical matters, including navigation, seamanship, ship handling and cargo damage matters. Richard has also given expert witness testimony.