Campbell Johnston Clark’s eligibility to be instructed on the highest profile casualties has often relied on its ability to call on the insight of the experienced master mariner. On his retirement as a marine casualty investigator, Brian Rolf reflects on 10 years of consultancy to with CJC - a period that saw him travel the world and advise clients on some very challenging cases.
As a decade working with CJC draws to a close, Brian Rolf can look back on a varied and rewarding career in the shipping industry – a journey that began with the pivotal decision to serve at sea.
After dedicating 10 years to a vocation that took him on six round-the-world voyages, Brian settled down and sought employment more conducive to married life. The experience he had gained on board various vessel types proved invaluable when he was contracted as a marine surveyor. It was through this line of work that Brian was introduced to marine law firms, and in 1992, he began investigating marine casualties.
18 years later, when CJC was established, its founders identified Brian as a consultant whose energy, experience and insights could be of considerable benefit to the company. “Brian is a great example of what can be gained from working with renowned external experts,” says director of the London office and co-founder Alistair Johnston. “He has been a rock to the admiralty team ever since CJC’s foundation, approaching his job with outstanding dedication and vigour. His presence will be missed as much as his willingness to share knowledge will be cherished. Everyone at CJC wishes him the happiest of retirements.”
Approaching Brian clearly paid off for CJC, and Brian himself recalls those early days with enthusiasm. “When CJC started up over ten years ago, I jumped at the opportunity to contribute to the new venture,” he says. “One of the things that attracted me to the firm was its ambition to provide the same top-quality work product that is prerequisite in the business – but to deliver it in a subtly yet significantly different way.”
While Brian found CJC’s fresh approach “invigorating”, he also valued those aspects of his work that felt “reassuringly familiar”, including the need to prepare for all eventualities. “In the early stages of a casualty, and as the matter proceeds, it is vital that those advising the clients have the best and most up-to-date information on which to base their strategies,” he says. “It is this urgency to react, travel, attend, investigate and establish the flow of information that makes the job so exciting.”
Some casualties were so urgent that Brian would be on a plane heading halfway around the globe within hours of being notified of the incident. One such case concerned a collision in the River Plate, Argentina, where, to advise on issues including inter-ship liability, general average and cargo claims, Brian had to board a heavily damaged vessel, anchored in extremely rough conditions, via a pilot ladder.
Although not all of Brian’s cases called for such steely nerves, many of them were equally compelling. An idyllic Greek island was the setting for the grounding of a loaded container ship, believed to be caused by a crew member’s inadvertent adjustment of the autopilot system. Brian deployed his expertise in salvage, general average and the defence of cargo and pollution-prevention claims.
A double explosion and ongoing fire on another containership, this time off the west coast of Africa, saw Brian drawing on the breadth of his experience to deal with issues such as salvage, defence of cargo claims and recovery from charterers. He was also part of the CJC team that successfully defended a total loss claim in the Mediterranean after establishing a deliberate attempt to sink a vessel by means of flooding the engine room.
Having enjoyed numerous adventures in his 10-year involvement with CJC, Brian is now looking forward to a quieter time with his wife – but admits that his retirement brings mixed emotions. “It has been a privilege to have been part of the development of this firm. I will miss working with a unique group of people who consistently commit their skill, humour and passion into making CJC so special. I leave with many fond memories.”
CJC continues to be instructed on the highest profile casualties in the maritime industry, including the highest profile casualties of 2021, reflecting its team’s breadth and depth of experience. The firm is convinced that its commitment to in-house mariner expertise has been pivotal in sustaining its track record of high profile casualty cases. The team will be joined by another master mariner next month following completion of his notice period at another international law firm – details will follow shortly.