The club previously reported in a news item in June 2020 that CINS (the Cargo Incident Notification System) and the International Group of P&I Clubs had jointly published updated guidance on the carriage of seed cake in containers. The third version of this guidance has now been published. It replaces and supersedes the previous versions. Version 3 of the Guidelines notes that it is vital that Seed Cake which is not classified in Class 4.2 of the IMDG Code should be declared by the shipper to the receiving carrier – ...

The benefits of internal mediation and informal intervention Mediation is facilitated settlement negotiation in which the parties to the dispute voluntarily agree to bring in a neutral third person to assist in reaching a compromise and avoiding litigation. Mediation is highly successful with 90 per cent of cases reaching settlement during the mediation or shortly thereafter. The mediator does not take sides but helps the parties understand and focus on the issues at hand. It sometimes happens that both parties to a dispute are insured by Gard, for example, a ...

UK P&I Club has launched its latest video in a series of award-winning reflective learning training videos, based on a real-life case of a vessel which incurred significant damage to its maize cargo due to a failure to conduct basic checks upon completion of loading. The animated video depicts an incident where a bulk carrier is fixed to load a full cargo of yellow maize in bulk; the previous cargo had been bulk fertiliser. On completion of loading, all 5 holds were fumigated and the holds were then closed, secured ...

The joint report published by international freight insurer, TT Club; IMPACT, a digital cargo theft information and prevention exchange and the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA EMEA) details trends in the prevalent modus operandi of thefts and the type of cargo commodities lost within the Russian road freight sector, analysing the data by month and federal region. The COVID-19 pandemic that took hold through 2020 impacted historical cargo theft trends in a multitude of ways. Local and national restrictions on general movement affected the thieves’ ability to move undetected when ...

In collaboration with I.M.E.Q., Sophia Bullard, Crew Health Director at UK P&I Club, discusses the issue of grief and its impact on crew, exploring the stages, signs and symptoms of grief, as well as coping mechanisms: “Loss is an inevitable, fundamental truth of life and grief is the emotional suffering we experience when we lose someone or something valuable to us. For seafarers, loss and the subsequent grief can be compounded by a sense of isolation, physical distance and impracticalities of a life at sea. That’s why it’s so important ...

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) recently launched an initiative that targets vessels anchoring in Malaysian waters. The MMEA is officially urging shipowners to seek permission to anchor their vessels in the eastern waters of Johor (South China Sea). Failure to do so, it is reported, will result in vessels being ordered out of the area. The MMEA has stated that it will take action against the owners of vessels which anchor illegally in the eastern waters of Johor. Since March 24, 2021, 31 vessels have anchored without the permission ...

Global supply chains already strained by the disruption caused by the pandemic have been further challenged recently by the blockage of the Suez Canal, an artery that carries 30% of the world’s container cargo each year. Happily, the Canal is now functioning normally again, but a reported 300 ships have been delayed awaiting transit, many others were re-routed via the longer passage around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. In its advisory capacity as a mitigator of risk and loss in the supply chain TT Club is warning of the ...

The Swedish Club has partnered with industry leading cargo consultants, CWA International, to develop its new Cargo Advice series, which provides expert advice and information on the carriage of a wide range of cargoes that are frequently subject to claims. The new Cargo Advice gives operators a unique, in depth insight into the proper handling and carriage of these cargoes, with detailed advice on the basic characteristics of each cargo type and the measures to be taken during each stage of carriage. The series highlights the preventative actions which must ...

Thomas Miller Specialty, a global insurance provider across a number of sectors including marine and offshore, has hired consultant Sven-Erik Braun to bolster the strategic business development of its European offering. A maritime professional with over thirty years’ experience, Sven-Erik has a deep knowledge of marine insurance markets. He has held senior roles with leading German insurance companies, including 14 years as Managing Director at marine broker Döhle Assekuranzkontor GmbH & Co. KG. Sven-Erik will support strategy and business development at the Hamburg branch of Thomas Miller Specialty, Thomas Miller ...

No one is likely to forget 2020 in a hurry. The pandemic had a seismic effect on all our lives and livelihoods, exerted a significant impact on trading and, out of urgent necessity, transformed working practices the world over. The availability of high-speed, high-quality connectivity has been an invaluable asset, enabling organisations to maintain their business continuity. The corresponding downside has been an alarming escalation in the incidence of cybercrime, and some very high-profile shipping companies have recently borne the brunt of these attacks. Already suffering from the disruption caused ...

Reinsurers are set to foot most of the bill for the grounding of the ship that halted traffic in the Suez Canal, industry sources said, with payouts expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars. International supply chains were thrown into disarray when the 400 metre (430 yard) Ever Given ran aground in the canal on March 23, with specialist rescue teams taking almost a week to free the vessel. Around 400 vessels were affected by the canal’s closure, which led to some having to divert around Africa to ...

Following implementation of the IMO 2020 global sulphur cap (on 1 January 2020), the club published an article relating to the operational experience on the transition to compliant fuel blends. There have been industry concerns over the uncertainty and potential diversity of the very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) characteristics. In response to this, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) committee in charge of ISO 8217 looked at the main characteristics of VLSFO fuel supplied to ships during the period from January to June 2020 and compared this with the ...

The focus of this advisory is prevention of damage to the main engine, auxiliary engine and boiler plant caused by fuel oil contaminated by chemicals such as cleaning solvents. In a recent matter the bunkered fuel test results gave no reason to suspect that engine and auxiliary engines problems would be encountered. However, further testing carried out at various points in the engine fuel system showed that organic chlorinated compounds were present, even though there was no trace of it in the bunker fuel sample test received from the fuel ...

Twenty years after the Standard Club began its joint venture with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire (TMNF) to underwrite P&I business in Japan, the club is celebrating its successful partnership. Tokio Standard for the 21st century (TS21) has gone from strength to strength and now underwrites 8% of P&I business in Japan. In order to further enhance the service provided to the members of TS21, the club has opened a new claims office in Tokyo. The office is led by experienced Japanese Claims Director, Masaki Maeda, who will work with ...

In order to strengthen the protection and restoration of the ecological environment in the Yangtze River Basin, the Yangtze River Protection Law entered into force on 1 March 2021. From this date, highly toxic chemicals and other hazardous chemicals that are currently not allowed to be transported on inland waterways under national standards, are also prohibited from being carried in the Yangtze River Basin. Companies that violate the law will have their illegal income confiscated and will receive a fine of between CNY 200,000 (approx. USD 30,600) and CNY 2 ...