Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

The Club Rules are here to help you navigate the terms and conditions of your cover so you can be sure of what your membership to the Club entails. This year there have been a number of updates to the Rules which we would like to draw your attention to. These are listed in the front of the Rule book

This circular informs Members of the approval by the International Group of P&I Clubs (the Group) of CargoX. Members may recall, as reported in the previous IG Circular: Electronic (Paperless) trading, that until February 2010 the Rules of all of the Group Clubs specifically excluded liabilities in respect of the carriage of cargo under all electronic, i.e. paperless, trading systems.

Last month, the Club issued a bulletin on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) which explained the origin of the virus and provided advice for Members whose vessels may be trading in affected areas. As the outbreak continues, there are now threats of significant delays to shipments around the world and in particular, Asia. Chen Zhida, Associate Director of Helmsman LLC, provides advice for shipowners and charterers who may be concerned about the impact that COVID-19 may have on charterparties.

Sleepiness and fatigue is a major factor impacting accidents at sea. As such, the Club has partnered with Sleep and Fatigue Research Ltd. (Safr) to investigate whether wearable technology can be utilised by shipping companies to identify fatigue hotspots within their operations.