It was a clear February night off the port of Jebel Ali, UAE in 2015. The conditions were benign, and visibility was good. EVER SMART, a large container ship owned by Evergreen and insured by Gard, was proceeding up a narrow channel which connects the port with the open sea, in order to exit the port. ALEXANDRA 1, a VLCC, was outside the narrow channel in the pilot boarding area. She intended to pick up the outbound EVER SMART’s pilot and enter the port via the narrow channel. At 2342 ...

The civil fine penalty range was altered from USD 5,000 minimum to USD 500,000 maximum, to a doubling of amount, namely USD 10,000 minimum to USD 1 million maximum. Additionally, and more significantly, there was a change to the second tier of fines that could be imposed if criminal charges are brought in such a case, to an amount up to USD 1,000 per US gallon, involving a spill quantity greater than 1,000 US gallons. These increases warranted attention by the marine shipping community, which attempted to ameliorate this legislative ...

This case relates to a consignment of beans that were damaged before loading, where the shipper should have known about the condition of the cargo upon loading. When presented with a draft bill of lading describing the cargo as: 63,366.150 metric tons Brazilian Soyabeans Clean on Board Freight pre-paid, the master/owners issued the bill of lading without any reservations. The face of the bill of lading mentioned: ‘SHIPPED at the Port of Loading in apparent good order and condition …[emphasis added by the undersigned…] on board the Vessel for carriage ...

In a bid to improve Nigeria’s ranking on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and to promote transparency, eliminate bottlenecks and illegal demands at seaports and terminals, the Nigerian Government has launched its Nigerian Ports Process Manual (NPPM). This manual is a collation of various processes extracted from standard operating procedures of stakeholders in the port sector. The aim is to improve operations, service timelines, efficiency and accountability in the port sector. The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has been appointed as the implementation lead agency for NPPM, while all federal government ...

“A” rated Steamship Mutual today announced the outcome of the Club’s 2021/2022 renewal. With a General Increase of 5%, ordered by the Board for both mutual and non mutual entries, the achieved premium increase of very close to that – over 4.5% including value of terms – is confirmation of widespread confidence in the Club. Notwithstanding some extremely difficult conditions arising from the Corona pandemic, this was a successful renewal, as reflected in additional tonnage entered by existing members and the number of new Members joining from other clubs and ...

The UK P&I Club (“The UK Club”), one of the leading shipping protection and indemnity mutual insurers, today announces its renewal results for 2021. The Club’s primary goal at this renewal was to find a balance between the needs of the Club’s Members on the one hand, and the Club’s commitment to maintaining balanced underwriting and sound financial planning to secure the long term stability of the Club. Despite the challenges of a remote renewal, the UK Club delivered a strong, disciplined renewal in a competitive market. Overwhelmingly, the Members ...

Britannia P&I is delighted to announce that, as part of its recently launched BSafe initiative, it is supporting Sailors’ Society’s Wellness at Sea awareness campaign. The campaign was developed in response to the COVID-19 crisis and aims to increase awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues, motivate crew and provide practical support to help seafarers through challenging times. The awareness campaign, which reflects Sailors’ Society’s experience in wellness training and supporting mental health at sea, will be rolled-out by Britannia to its Members throughout 2021. A variety of resources and ...

The most significant trend highlighted by the report was the relative shift in the location of thefts, with in-transit incidents and those involving vehicles showing a decline, though remaining the most dominant threat, and theft from storage facilities increasing. The extent of the rise in the latter was variable from region to region however this trend was reflective of the disruption to supply chains brought about by radical changes to consumer buying patterns as a consequence of the pandemic. TT Club’s Managing Director, Loss Prevention, Mike Yarwood explains more, “The ...

Statement from Ian Gooch, CEO of the Club’s managers (A Bilbrough & Co Ltd) ‘’The renewal process is an important part of the Club’s strategy and we are pleased to have achieved an outcome which is in line with our key premium objectives. In the face of increasing pool claims, uncertainties associated with the pandemic and diminishing premium levels, we have focused on sustainability in the rating of our P&I business which ensures the Club’s continuing strength going forward. Inevitably, our focus on rating meant that – in a small ...

Did you know that 21 February was ‘World Whale Day’? ‘World Whale Day’ held annually on the third Saturday in February, was founded in Maui, Hawaii, in 1980, to honour humpback whales, which swim off its coast. Today, the event serves a bigger purpose and reminds us of the need for continuous protection of the many large species of whale that are listed as “endangered” or “threatened”. Protecting North Atlantic right whales in Canada and the US The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered species ...

The Standard Club has completed its renewal negotiations and is very well positioned to continue to support its members through these unprecedented times. The club has successfully renewed 95% of the expiring portfolio and welcomed a small number of high-quality new members. Many existing members have expanded their entries and in a number of cases consolidated their fleet into Standard from other clubs. While the 2020/21 policy year is forecast to perform better than 2019/20, it is still anticipated to result in an underwriting deficit. This is primarily due to ...

The Club is pleased to announce the successful completion of its 2021 renewal, which was conducted in especially challenging circumstances. Whilst recognising the difficult trading conditions many Members face, the industry-wide challenges arising from the upturn in claims particularly on the IG Pool necessitated increases in premium and these were broadly achieved at renewal. The reduction in tonnage which was an inevitable consequence of strategic de-risking was largely balanced by organic growth from existing Members, who have once again demonstrated their sustained trust and confidence in West’s capital strength and ...

North P&I Club has reported continuing growth in its diversified business lines and solid progress in raising premiums to reflect market conditions and is expecting to see a small tonnage reduction after a planned de-risking exercise. The attention to risk, revenue and diversification leaves the global marine insurer in robust financial shape, despite Covid-19 challenges and what North Chief Executive Paul Jennings describes as “a very demanding renewal for our P&I mutual business”. This year’s renewal has been the first in North’s 160-year history to have taken place virtually, without ...

Oslo: 23 February 2021 – Skuld today announced that for the mutual P&I policy year 2020 to 2021 mutual P&I gross tonnage (GT) increased by 5.5%. As of 20 February 2021, Skuld’s mutual P&I tonnage stood at 101 million GT. In addition to the positive development of the mutual P&I portfolio, Skuld also increased its market share across all other lines of business, including hull and energy and all aspects of its commercial P&I operations. This is against the backdrop of not only the pandemic but a period of extreme ...

A bit of preparation means a quicker turnaround of a reimbursement claim – a welcome result for both insureds and Gard claims handlers. This article focuses on claims related to crew and does not discuss cover related to passengers or others who may be aboard in a capacity other than crew. Elements of cover Protection and Indemnity (P&I) insurance is named risk liability insurance and cover terms are found in the P&I Rules for ships entered in the Association. There is a similar but separate set of Rules for Mobile ...