Matthew Hinckley

Biography

Matthew has 23 years experience in the provision of insurance advisory services to Loss Adjusters, Solicitors, Insurers and Re-Insurers. Providing both overall management of multi-disciplinary teams and civil / structural engineering input on a variety of complex and major UK and International losses. Experienced on losses under both operational and construction/erection policies arising from all forms of Property Damage (natural disasters, fires & explosion, mechanical breakdowns, etc.) and also from claims arising from reported defective design, construction, materials and operation/use.

Increased focus on a variety of oil & gas, refinery and petrochemical losses but also involved in a wide range of other sectors, including power & energy losses which are all underpinned by experience of the detailed design and construction of structures for power plants (thermal, combined cycle and nuclear), desalination plants and other heavy industrial developments.

Responsible for the management and co-ordination of teams providing a wide range of engineering, geotechnical and quantum & costing advice in relation to Property Damage claims. Further responsibility for management and peer review of industry experts on a wide range of specialist losses in power, energy and renewable resources losses (including wind turbines, steam & gas turbines, solar power). Also responsible for analysis of reinstatement timelines & critical path programmes for losses involving Business Interruption and the production of root (RCA) & proximate cause analysis investigations working closely with relevant industry specialists.

Experienced in carrying out and coordinating post-Incident damage surveys in a pro-active manner to ensure relevant data is collected as soon as practicable, followed by ongoing liaison with the insured and their advisors to determine & agree the scope of damage and reinstatement works. Working closely with quantity/costing specialist both in-house and from local associates to provide accurate reinstatement cost advice that is relevant to the loss type & location. Practiced in the detailed review of inspections/testing reports to identify loss-related damage (as opposed to ‘damage’ by other causes) and detailed analysis of Insured’s reinstatement proposals, cost estimates and incurred cost claims.

Aims to build close and trusted working relationships with all members of the claims handling & adjusting team to produce reliable, impartial advice and fair assessment of complex claims.

Countries Worked in:​Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, Cote D’Ivoire, Cyprus, Denmark, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, The Netherlands, Peoples Republic of China, Romania, Portugal, Poland, Qatar, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Venezuela.

Representative Consulting Assignments

• Chelsea Barracks Redevelopment Project, UK, Flood Damage Loss | Commercial & Public Buildings | Stormwater flooding of basement levels of luxury residential development of flats and townhouse, affecting 6,000 sq.m including luxury spa facility. Assessment of scope of damage (structural, fit-out and M&E services) to works in final stages of construction, detailed review of claimed reinstatement works following Contract variation clauses. Identification of pre-Loss defects/snagging items and separation of cost associated with consequential impacts on undamaged items.
• Longannet Power Stations, UK, Pipe Failure and Fire Damage Losses | Power & Energy | Two separate losses occurring during final commissioning stage of the newly constructed Flue Gas Desulphurisation Units. Major fire in the Unit 3 absorber structure resulting in severe heat and smoke contamination to the concrete absorber shell and 400Te Gas-Gas Heat Exchanger, requiring their complete demolition and rebuild on the retained floor slab and foundations. Explosive failure during final pressure testing of bell-and-spigot joint to large diameter GRP seawater supply pipelines.
• Surface Water Pumping Station, Kent, UK, Construction Defect | Infrastructure | Providing expert advice to lawyers on damage to surface water pumping station installed in 2013 as part of new residential/industrial developments. Assessing possible causation and mechanisms for damage sustained to mass concrete surround to pre-formed GRP liner, and eventual damage to GRP liner due to groundwater pressures. Review and comparison of findings of two independent experts, as well as independent assessment of design & construction methods. Identified issues with differences between design & as-built situation, construction defects & quality deficiencies, and omission from design of some permanent & temporary loadings (later resulting from construction methods adopted).
• Profal Limited, Israel, Explosion Damage Loss | Heavy Industry | Major explosion at an adjacent fireworks and munitions factory causing significant damage to a 28 Te charge 2-chamber aluminium smelter and associated burner, charging, casting equipment and emissions bag house facilities.
• Walthamstow Mall, UK, Fire Damage Loss | Commercial & Public Buildings | Major fire in July 2019 at large retail development causing extensive damage to intricate roof structure and widespread internal fire and fire fighting water damage. Management of experts assessing both extent and cost of PD damage (building fabric and MEP services), as well review of reinstatement timelines. Review of impact of insured opting to make numerous changes/improvement in the reinstatement and development of notional cost estimate and timelines for like-for-like reinstatement.
• Major Brewery Facility, Denmark, Storm Damage Loss | Manufacturing | Storm damage to a fully automated 75,000 pallet high bay warehouse facility. Working closely with the Insured, their technical experts and the OEM to complete extensive structural design review to determine the increased stresses in the structure following permanent deformation of the main structural bracing towers and pallet racking. This eventually enabling agreement of necessary repair and reinforcement works as opposed to total demolition and rebuilding.
• Portimao Retail Park, Portugal, Fire Damage Loss | Commercial & Public Buildings | Severe fire damage to circa 22,000 sq.m retail park building resulting in total destruction of superstructure, including assessment of impact of local code compliance, reconstruction permitting, Tenant fit-out agreements and reinstatement timelines.
• Ocado Andover Customer Fulfilment Centre, UK, Fire Damage Loss | Manufacturing | Fire destroyed an automated Customer Fulfilment Centre designed for processing 70,000 orders per week using a 3D grid of totes holding the product range. Products totes are collected by circa 1,000 robots feeding manual picking stations where customer order is packed, before the completed order is returned o the grid, for later collection to despatch/delivery vans. Appointed to review the production ramp profile and ultimate capacity of the pre-fire CFC and the post-fire reinstated CFC, and impact on production of inability to reinstate in exactly the same format.
• Qatalum Aluminium Plant, Mesaaeid City, Qatar, Fire Damage Loss | Heavy Industry | Fire destroyed the GRP superstructure and forced draft fan equipment to large 178m long by 32m wide, 22 No. cell cooling tower to captive CCGT Power Plant. Works included detailed review of status of construction handover documentation and impact of vibration issues on cooling tower integrity at time of transfer from Construction to Operational policy.
• Borouge 2, Ruwais Refinery, UAE, Explosion Damage Loss | Petrochemical, Chemicals & Gas | Review of cause of damage and the extent/cost for repairs to a large Ethylene Unit auxiliary boiler following an explosion in 2015. Technical assessment of repairability of the original boiler, review of proposed alternative temporary replacement boiler (technical specification and impact on overall steam balance of main Plant).
• Astron Energy Milnerton Refinery, South Africa, Explosion & Fire Damage Loss | Petrochemical, Chemicals & Gas | Explosion and fire contained in Platforming Unit furnace 4F-1, causing Waste Heat Boiler stack to fall and impact on adjacent equipment & structures. Significant damage requiring replacement of furnace and WHB, with wider area heat & projectile/impact damage to pipe/cable racks, instrumentation, fin-fan coolers, vessels and heat exchangers. Detailed review and assessment of scope of damage and reinstatement cost estimate/PD claim, working closely with local contractor during Covid period who completed site inspections and developed independent cost estimate. Also review and comment on theoretical repair-in-kind schedule.
• Engen Refinery, South Africa, Explosion & Fire Damage Loss | Petrochemical, Chemicals & Gas | Explosion of Nitrogen tank caused failure of pipework leading to/from the CHD reactor, causing a loss of hydrocarbons and resulting in a large fire affecting the Catalytic Hydro Desulphuriser Unit and other adjacent PTR/Reformer units. Significant damage within CHD Unit requiring replacement of reactor charge heaters, high temperature separators and other associated vessels and heat exchangers. Wider area heat zone and projectile damage to reactors, vessels, furnaces, heat exchangers, fin fan coolers, etc. and the associated civil & structural steelwork structures. Detailed review and assessment of scope of damage and reinstatement cost estimate/PD claim, working closely with local contractor during Covid period who completed site inspections and developed independent cost estimate.
• Qatalum Aluminium Plant, Qatar, Power Outage Loss | Heavy Industry | Investigation of causation of total power outage of in-house 1,350MW CCGT power plant to 275,000Te / year aluminium plant.
• Ma’aden Wa’ad Al-Shamal Phosphate Company, Phosphoric Acid Plant Plant, Saudi Arabia. Chemical Deterioration Loss | Petrochemical, Chemicals & Gas | Large EAR claim in the Evaporation Section of a new 1.5m metric tons annual phosphoric acid production plant. Assessment of damages to acid-resistant rubber linings to steel pipes/vessels and epoxy/vinyl ester linings to concrete Hot Well Sumps and water trenches, both resulting in detachment of linings and attack of the underlying steel/concrete. Detailed review of contractor’s financial claim for direct and consequential damages, operating conditions and appropriateness of & improvements in original/replacement lining materials, effect of phased works due to ongoing operation and review of numerous third party inspection and material assessment reports.
• Thames Water Utilities Ltd, UK, Flood Damage Losses | Infrastructure | Extensive and widespread flood water damage to an initially estimated 8-900 no. assets spread across a 85m long by 53 mile wide area following heavy rainfall during winter 2013-14. Multiple site inspection teams assessing varying degrees of damage to electrical, mechanical and structural installations. Facilities included water supply aqueduct, 4 no. water treatment works, 28 no. sewage treatment works and 400-plus no. sewage pumping stations. Also assisted with review of records to determine if dates and locations of flooding indicated one continuous or multiple events.
• Ferrybridge Power Station, UK, Fire Damage Loss | Power & Energy | Severe fire during maintenance works causing widespread and significant damage to a gypsum slurry FGD Absorber unit, flue gas ductwork, gas-gas heat exchanger and associated electrical, instrumentation and mechanical services. Detailed review/audit of claimed theoretical reinstatement scope and costs, as unit not actually reinstated.
• Danish Crown Abattoirs, Denmark, Fire Damage Loss | Manufacturing | Engineering co-ordination, senior civil / structural engineer and reinstatement works timelines. Major fires causing varying degrees of damage to (i) approximately 2,700 sq.m of 5,600 pigs per day abattoir facility in the centre of the north-western Danish town of Skive and (ii) to approximately 7,200 sq.m of this 10,000 pigs per day abattoir facility in the centre of the south-eastern Danish town of Blans. Review of impact of current legislation on daylight levels within reinstated buildings.
• Negev Energy, Ashalim Solar Thermal Power Plant, Israel, Overheating Damage Loss | Power & Energy | Newly constructed 121MW Solar Thermal Power Plant with 5 no. Heat Transfer Fluid Heaters providing auxiliary heating during hours of darkness. Investigation and expert advice on cause of repetitive damage to burners in all 5no. HTF heaters during and post-commissioning. Damages caused by overheating to burner air-gas plenum chambers, burner quarls, swirlers and pokers, as well as to heater refractory linings/shell. Investigation include review of appropriateness of insulation and cooling to burners, materials used and effectiveness of gland seals.
• Mersey Gateway Bridge Crossing, UK, Review of Contract Claims | Infrastructure | Detailed review of the validity of 12no. claims made by the construction Joint Venture against one of the Design Joint Venture partners in relation to recovery of additional costs and indirect programme costs arising from claimed deficiencies or inadequacies in the final pre-tender design. Claimed issues included increases in design quantities related to the bridge deck, speciation of expansion joints, extended length piles due to failed load test, late completion of design and errors/inconsistences/late changes/incompatibility of various elements of the design.

Professional Experience

• 2022 - Current | Senior Principal Consultant | YOUNG & Associates
• 2019 - 2022 | | Envista Forensics
• 2012 - 2019 | | McLellan and Partners Ltd
• 1988 - 2012 | | Mouchel (formerly Mouchel Parkman, formerly LG Mouchel & Partners)

Education

• MICE - Member, Institution of Civil Engineers