The recent case of the Tai Prize has underlined how important it is for a Master to fully understand the implications of signing a bill of lading, says The Swedish Club. The Tai Prize ruling reiterates the legal principle that a Master must sign a bill of lading only if it accurately describes the condition of the cargo, irrespective of any commercial pressures he may be facing. Whilst leading law firms will no doubt continue to explore the complexities surrounding this issue; the bottom line is that the brunt of ...

The challenges inherent in today’s international trade and the supply chains that service it are painfully obvious – higher prices of energy and food, shortages of and delays in delivering manufactured goods, dynamic changes in markets and sourcing regions. The on-going effects of the pandemic, with its associated lockdowns and the war in Ukraine are proving catalysts to ignite underlying economic and environmental trends that will continue to fuel long-term changes in the pattern of global supply and demand. As a specialist in providing insurance and risk management services to ...

Supporting the education and training of new talents have always been key commitments for Gard, as reflected in the Claes Isacson Scholarship, the long standing and recently revitalised IML Gard Fund, and in the group’s strong relationships with several universities around the world. Another testimony is Gard’s support of the Maritime London Officer Cadet Scholarship (MLOCS). Since 2018, Gard has sponsored a cadet through this scheme, thus enabling a young student to complete a three-year program combining academic studies with practical training onboard a series of commercial vessels. “It has ...

The European Union’s 6th Sanctions Package – EU Regulation 833/2014 – (the “Regulation”) On 3 June 2022 the EU published its 6th package of sanctions against Russia. This circular is not intended to be a comprehensive summary of the EU sanctions against Russia. It focuses on: the measures in the 6th package of sanctions which impact on the transport and insurance of oil and petroleum products; and the prohibitions on transacting with Russian state-owned enterprises subject to the Article 5aa restrictions and as listed in Annex XIX of the Regulation. ...

Skuld today confirms it has obtained an official licence to open a Japanese branch, Skuld Japan, in Tokyo. Jinsung Son has been appointed head of Skuld Japan. Son has a bachelor’s degree in law from Waseda University, Tokyo, and prior to joining Skuld in 2020, he spent 15 years at the Japan P&I Club, most recently as deputy general manager and team leader. Ståle Hansen, Skuld president and CEO said: “Skuld has a firm commitment to a strategy of diversification and growth where results from commercial business contribute to mutuality. ...

Your Managers are pleased to attach the American Club’s Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended December 31, 2021. As will be seen, they are in an electronic format. They were formally approved at the one-hundred-fifth Annual Meeting of the Members of the Club which took place earlier today in New York. Hard copies of this document will also be available from the Managers over the forthcoming period. As will be noted from the Club’s latest financial statements, the accounting treatment and presentation of premium earned but unbilled (EBUB), ...

The club is seeing an increasing number of requests from members who are considering the use of Y-splitters in order to increase the reefer capacity on their containerships beyond their designed limit. However, when doing so, there is a risk of overloading the power cables. This would generate excess heat and increase the potential of fire. This risk is further enhanced by the absence of frequent monitoring and review, of the condition of the extra cabling, sockets, plugs and reefers by the crew. The club fully understands the commercial attractiveness ...

To support consistent implementation and verification of the 0.50% sulphur limit, MARPOL Annex VI has been amended to introduce definitions distinguishing between ‘in-use’ and ‘on board’ fuel oil samples taken from a vessel. To facilitate the need for taking ‘in-use’ samples, ships constructed before 1 April 2022 are required to designate or, if necessary, fit sampling points no later than the first IAPP renewal survey on or after 1 April 2023. For ships built on or after 1 April 2022, sampling points needs to be in place and designated upon ...

Seafarers Happiness Index (SHI) Quarter 1 2022 results kickstarts the year, but seafarers are off to a rocky start. At an overall average score of 5.85/10, down from 6.41 in Q4 2021, it is the lowest level of satisfaction across 8 years of reporting. This is also the second time that happiness levels across all the questions have fallen. Spending a longer time onboard at sea puts the rest of the physical and working environment onboard under scrutiny. Fortunately for many respondents, the food was well received, with options that ...

The Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance (PPMI) formally came into effect in May 2022, and the Signatories are getting ready to begin their first climate alignment reporting exercise, meaning that they will publicly disclose the carbon intensity of their hull and machinery (H&M) portfolios. As with all new initiatives, however, many are wondering about the practicalities. What will it mean for our clients? How will emissions data be collected and what will they eventually be used for? To get some answers, we sat down with Gard’s PPMI expert and Head ...

BIMCO has published the Emission Trading Scheme Allowances (ETSA) Clause for Time Charter Parties 2022. The clause is designed to assist the parties entering into a charter party to allocate obligations and responsibilities in terms of obtaining, transferring, and surrendering allowances for greenhouse gas emissions from ships operating under an emissions scheme, such as the EU ETS. The clause addresses not only CO2 emissions but in general all greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane and nitrous oxides. BIMCO drafted the clause on the basis of the ‘polluter-pays’ principle thus the ...

The IMO has aptly themed this year’s campaign ‘Your voyage – then and now, share your journey’. This spotlights each seafarer’s voyage, examining how it has evolved over time and what remains at the heart of seafarers’ reality. #SeafarerJourney is the new hashtag for this campaign and participating seafarers will be posting two photos – one from their first voyage and another from their latest/ most recent voyage – sharing changes that they have experienced/ learned. Anyone paying tribute to seafarers is also encouraged to use this hashtag to be ...

Paris MOU has launched an inspection campaign to verify compliance with the requirements of the Polar Code. The campaign will be run over two periods, the first inspection period started on 13 June and will last until 1 July 2022, the second period will run from 1 to 19 August 2022. The Polar Code inspection campaign is in addition to the regular Concentrated Inspection Campaigns (CIC) and is held at a different time of the year due to the seasonal voyage plans of the ships sailing to the polar area. ...

Transport Canada confirms in Ship Safety Bulletin 11/2022 that COVID-19 vaccines approved in Canada continue to be available to foreign seafarers. The bulletin provides links to websites that contain information on how a foreign seafarer can obtain a COVID-19 vaccine in Canada. Further, this bulletin refers shipping companies, agents and seafarers to Ship Safety Bulletin 06/2022 for guidelines respecting the mobility of asymptomatic, presumed non-Covid-19 carrying seafarers. Source: Standard Club

The Swedish Club celebrated its 150th Anniversary in style last week, with a series of events held around the Club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Gothenburg. Following the difficulties facing us all in the last few years, the Club’s members and business partners embraced the opportunity to meet face to face with friends old and new – many for the first time since the pandemic struck – and the event was run at full capacity. Once again, Members’ Day delivered a varied programme containing the Club’s usual eclectic mix of ...