Meet the Team: Richard Bailey

The team at AqualisBraemar share the passion, vision and values for working in energy and the world’s oceans, de-risking and driving the energy transition. We are driven by the idea that the best work is born from professionalism, diligence… and fun. You know AqualisBraemar, but do you know our team?

Richard Bailey, Marine Surveyor | London

What do you do at AqualisBraemar?

I am a marine surveyor, mostly focusing on hull and machinery work. This involves attending shipping casualties on behalf of the insurance underwriters, surveying the damage and then reporting on the nature, extent and cost of damage.

In my career I have been involved in a wide variety of claims on all types of vessels, from engine damage, groundings, collisions, fires with claims up to 50 MUSD. I have also worked as an expert witness for various marine law firms in arbitrations and court cases, with one of my cases currently before the UK supreme court.

What excites you the most about our industry?

I prefer being in a boiler suit to a suit and tie. I love the variety of work and the challenge of dealing with some of the biggest claims in the field. When I was in ship management it was always straight forward and I was very rarely involved in any incident, now serious casualties become a daily event.

The biggest challenge our market has been facing is decreasing claims volumes with falling premiums leading to a soft market leading to some clients closing their marine books. In an industry where there are no contracts and you are only as good as your last job you have to work hard to keep the clients happy whilst balancing our independent position.

What made you join AqualisBraemar?

I am a recent joiner to AqualisBraemar after being in one of smaller companies in the sector for the last 8 years. My reason for joining AqualisBraemar was due to a much greater variety and volume of work. The client base is more extensive and operate in larger markets.

I already knew a lot of AqualisBraemar staff from the industry and as well as some being former colleagues. Everybody here has been professional and welcoming, so joining AqualisBraemar has been like coming to work with a group of old friends.  

AqualisBraemar’s ability to offer working from home to offset the often-chaotic schedule of attendances also helps maintain a work life balance.

What do you do when you are not working?

Outside of work I currently spent a large amount of time restoring our grade II listed cottage which keeps my hands dirty and helps satisfy my brain’s practical engineering need to do things.