MEDIA RELEASE

11 November 2024 – Charles Taylor, a leading international loss adjusting business, proudly announces the expansion of its Marine Technical Services (MTS) team with strategic new hires across Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. These key appointments highlight Charles Taylor’s commitment to providing clients across Asia Pacific with a full suite of services, reducing the need for multiple providers. 

The new additions to Charles Taylor's MTS team strengthen Charles Taylor’s capacity to manage complex, cross-border marine projects. From handling damage assessments for Chinese-owned vessels in Australian waters to overseeing intricate repairs in Singapore, the MTS team provides an integrated, end-to-end solution that streamlines marine claims and technical services across borders. This approach not only saves clients valuable time but also reduces administrative complexities, delivering a seamless experience that covers the full cycle of marine claims and technical support. 

The four new hires bring a wealth of experience and specialised expertise to the team:

•    Allwyn D’Souza – Senior Surveyor, Sydney, Australia: With over 46 years’ experience in the marine and insurance industry — 32 years’ of those as a marine claims adjuster —  Allwyn is a seasoned expert in high-value and complex claims. His credentials include expertise in cargo claims, hull damage, and liability cases.

•    Ong Eng Hong – Marine Surveyor, Singapore: A seasoned surveyor with over 20 years of experience in the marine sector, Eng Hong’s background includes overseeing shipbuilding and conversion projects, H&M damage investigations and conducting extensive Marine Warranty Surveys across Southeast Asia for oil majors like Chevron Thailand and Petrovietnam.

•    Steve Hawthorne – Senior Marine Surveyor, Hong Kong: Bringing 34 years in the marine industry, with 16 years as a Marine Surveyor, Steve offers deep expertise in marine casualty response, heavy lift, project cargoes, and marine warranty services. His expertise includes marine casualty work for H&M and P&I insurers, overseeing drydocking repairs, mega yacht inspections and cargo damage.

•    Duan Mingxin – Surveyor, Shanghai, China: With 8 years’ experience as a salvage engineer and 2 years as a project manager of a cruise design project, Duan is experienced in design and associated calculations. His notable projects include leading an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) design project, overseeing the design of a 150,000-tonne cruise ship, and serving as a salvage engineer on complex salvage operations such as the Sewol sunken Ro-Ro ship in South Korea.

Additionally, Harshvardhan Kumar has been appointed Director – Marine Technical Services, Australia, reporting directly to Graeme Temple, Regional Director – Marine Technical Services. His leadership in Australia bolsters Charles Taylor’s commitment to delivering a seamless, end-to-end service for marine clients across Asia Pacific. 

Graeme Temple, Regional Director – Marine Technical Services, says: “Our new team members greatly enhance our regional capabilities, allowing us to provide a full-suite of solutions to clients dealing with multifaceted marine challenges. With this expanded team, we ensure continuity and consistency and aim to be a trusted partner our clients can depend on for experience and expertise on all aspects of marine technical services, from loss prevention and asset management to major marine property and complex cargo losses”.