Richard heads an experienced Singapore casualty team, including two senior ex-mariners, dealing with a wide range of marine casualties from collisions and groundings to fires, main engine breakdowns, other salvage incidents, wreck removal and pollution cases. He and his team also regularly advise leading underwriters and shipowners in relation to charterparty, bill of lading, general average and insurance coverage issues arising out of casualties.
Richard has been directly involved in a significant number of the region’s major marine casualties over the past 25 years, including the widely-publicised Kaminesan/Hyundai No. 105, Orapin Global/Evoikos, Ever Glory/Hual Trinita, Ming Galaxy/Herceg Novi, Nagasaki Spirit/Ocean Blessing, Tosa and Hebei Spirit/Samsung No.1 collisions, and the Barrier Reef Bunga Melati Satu and Indonesian CGM Normandie (later MSC Napoli) and Natuna Sea grounding/salvage cases.
In addition to the many marine casualties occurring in and around the Singapore and Malacca Straits, a significant number of Richard’s cases have involved problematical casualties in Indonesia and Vietnam where over the years he has developed special expertise and extensive local knowledge/professional contacts.
The latest edition of Asia Pacific Legal 500 describes Richard as “very experienced”, Who's Who Legal 2009 rates him as "one of the best around" and Chambers Asia 2009 directory comments that he is “a lawyer who makes brilliant decisions that reveal a deep care for his clients’ interests, Richard Lovell is hugely experienced and Singapore’s longest serving foreign shipping lawyer”.
Richard is a dual English and Hong Kong qualified lawyer.