News

Sleepiness and long term fatigue are now recognised as major factors impacting accidents at sea and seafarer health.

The Club has continued to record a significant number of oil pollution claims that have occurred during cargo and bunkering operations.

As a mutual P&I Club specialising in providing a liability insurance solution to smaller and specialist vessels, we are aware that many owners wish to access the value-added benefits associated with being a member of a P&I Club but, due to their particular operations, prefer the premium approach adopted by the commercial market, which charges fixed premiums with no exposure to supplementary or overspill calls.

Adopted in 2004 the Ballast Water Management, BWM Convention (the ‘convention’), is the International Convention for the control and management of ship’s ballast water and sediments. The aim of the convention is to remove, render harmless or avoid uptake or discharge of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens within ballast water sediments by mechanical, physical, chemical and biological processes (either singularly or in combination).

A vessel owner that arranges P&I insurance through a mutual solution with an International Group P&I Club can boast ultimate insurance protection limits of up to US$ 8 billion against (non-pollution/passenger) third party property losses.

The Club has recently dealt with several claims involving access to vessels, some of which have unfortunately resulted in injuries and even fatalities.

To understand release calls it is necessary to appreciate how Club’s view Club membership and in particular, the use of estimates which under-pin the ETC method of funding.

The shipping market continues to experience a prolonged period of downturn, especially in the offshore sector. We have seen owners and operators often being compelled to lay up tonnage.

The term ‘overspill’ means that a loss has spilled over, or exceeded, the limits of liability available through the General Excess of Loss Reinsurance Programme which protects Mutual Members of the International Group of P&I Clubs.

In June 2017 the 98th session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) approved MSC-FAL.1/Circ.3 Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Risk Management.

On 2^nd August 2017 President Trump signed into law H.R. 3364, Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.  The new Act introduces economic sanctions legislation which builds upon existing sanctions imposed by the US against Iran, Russia, and North Korea.

Exponential advances in digital technologies, hyper-connected societies, and the rise of the global citizen are driving change across the operational landscape of the maritime industry.

Many vessel owners join a Mutual P&I Club to access limits of liability that are generally unavailable in the commercial fixed premium market. The highest limits are provided by the International Group of P&I Clubs, a collection of 13 mutual P&I Clubs, including the Shipowners’ Club.

There was a time when all P&I Clubs used the same method of funding; the estimated total call (ETC) approach.

The Club recognises that with the development of technology on board vessels, it has become increasingly important for Members to be able to identify and respond to cyber threats.

In accordance with the Solvency II regulations the Club has produced its first Solvency & Financial Condition Report (SFCR) as at 31 December 2016.

On 16 June 2017, US President Donald Trump signed into law a partial reversal of Barack Obama’s Cuba policy. During his speech to a sympathetic crowd in Miami last week, Trump declared that he was: “cancelling completely the last Administration’s completely one-sided deal with Cuba”.

Since June 2016, the Club’s Seafarers’ Health Information Programme has reported on various health issues  that affect those serving on board vessels with the aim of assisting Members in mitigating against related incidents.

News has broken today that Six Arab countries have cut ties with Qatar. This coordinated move to withdraw diplomatic relations comes from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Yemen and Libya. The six countries cite Qatar’s ties to terrorism, pointing to its alleged backing of so called Islamic State (IS), and the need to maintain their own national security. Qatar has called the decision ‘unjustified’ and with ‘no basis in fact’.

On 16th January 2016, Implementation Day, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran had complied with its nuclear obligations in line with ‘the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action’ (‘JCPOA’). As a result, certain EU and US nuclear related sanctions on Iran were lifted. Implementation Day heralded, for many, the prospect of great business opportunity in a country locked down to the outside world for a number of years.

The Shipowners’ Club has been in existence for over 160 years and was established by ship owners, for ship owners.  We have always operated on a mutual basis – that is, the Club exists for the benefit of its Members.

Any outbreak of fire on board a ship poses a significant risk to the safety of the vessel and to anyone on board.

This week marks the 4^th annual Mental Health Awareness Week. Conceived by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness week raises awareness of mental health issues by developing a greater understanding of their cause and effect.

Since June 2016 the Club has issued regular guidance concerning the enhancement and protection of crew health on board a vessel and during periods of shore leave.

The Club previously released a bulletin informing Members of the precautionary measures that can be taken to avoiding the contraction of Malaria on board merchant ships. The bulletin was released in the wake of an incident in which a crew member died from a malarial infection having not had access to the correct precautionary medication.

As reported in our Client Alerts of January 30th, February 10th and March 6th, Executive Order (“E.O.”) 13769 issued by President Trump on January 27, 2017, banned for 90 days any immigrant or nonimmigrant entry into the U.S. of foreign citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and would have impacted vessels with crewmembers from those countries.

As reported in our Client Alerts of January 30th and February 10th, Executive Order (“E.O.”) 13769 issued by President Trump on January 27, 2017, and entitled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States”, banned for 90 days any immigrant or nonimmigrant entry into the U.S. of foreign citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and would have impacted vessels with crewmembers from those countries.

As reported in our Client Alert of January 30th, on January 27, 2017 President Trump issued an Executive Order {“E.O.”) entitled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.” This E.O. banned for 90 days any immigrant or non-immigrant entry into the U.S. of foreign citizens from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iran and Libya, which would impact vessels with crewmembers from those countries. The E.O. also suspended the U.S. refugee program.…

In the recent article Cost reductions across Members’ operational landscape, the Club introduced its Members to the ‘CTRL benefit’ clause. Members of the Shipowners’ Club are able to take advantage of two hours’ free legal work each year for qualifying matters.

The Club is beginning a year-long project to assist Members in incorporating a risk assessment ethos into their on board operating procedures.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are extremely common – it is estimated that up to 75% of sexually active people will contract an STI of some kind in their life time. The likelihood of seafarers contracting an STI is further increased, due to their unsettled lifestyles and the lack of information provided about preventative measures.

On January 27, 2017 President Trump issued an Executive Order (E.O.) entitled Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States. This E.O. will impact vessels calling in the U.S. with crew members on board who are citizens of Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya.

Drawing on our broad knowledge and legal expertise, we look to minimise your exposure from the outset, by promptly and expertly assessing your liabilities and identifying risks. Our aim is always to settle claims at the optimum level for our Members and reimburse them without delay. In fact, our recent brand research exercise revealed that the Club’s attitude towards paying claims is a key cause for satisfaction among our broker network.

Members are referred to our article Cuba: Sanctions overview. This article highlighted the issuance of a general license by the United States of America (U.S.) Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to ease the so called ‘180 day rule’.

During 2016 the Club launched a new subsidiary, CTRL, through which Members of the Shipowners’ Club are able to access significant financial benefits which assist in cost reductions across their operation.

Each of our Members face unique risks and therefore pay a unique premium, a result of the vast difference in laws and regulations across jurisdictions.

Owners know that their seafarers health is of paramount importance and, in recent years, we’ve become more alert to the importance of seafarers’ mental as well as physical wellbeing.

In December 2014, President Obama announced that he would take steps to resume normal diplomatic relations between the United States of America (U.S.) and Cuba, after more than 50 years of isolation.

The Club would like to bring to our Member’s attention a USCG safety alert regarding the ignoring and silencing of on board alarms and the possible consequences of failing to take proper actions in such situations.

We are delighted to announce our new Liability Insurance Policy for European Inland Craft. These conditions are in line with all other ‘all risk’ policies issued by the Club and will be available to Members entered via the EUROP&I fixed facility (European inland trading vessels only).

On 30 November 2016, the limits of a ship owners’ liability for a maritime claim in the UK will rise by 51%, when the amended 1996 Protocol to the Convention on Liability for Maritime Claims 1976 comes into force in the UK.

This article looks at the way the Club calculates premiums, how they are structured and how this can lead to greater certainty for Members in these uncertain times.

Our latest guidelines in partnership with ISWAN highlight best practice for maintaining dental hygiene at sea.

In response to its failure to comply with EU demands regarding the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, various sanctions have been imposed upon Russia by both the EU and the US.

In 2011, following the outbreak of civil war in Libya and subsequent human rights violations, the UN and the EU imposed sanctions on Libya.

We have reissued our Basic Stability for Small Vessels booklet which provides guidance on the fundamentals of stability.

General trading conditions have been challenging for our Members for several years. Owners and operators are under financial pressure and it is during these testing periods that some may turn to the cheapest premium available with little regard for the implications on the quality of their insurance cover and the service they receive in the long-term.

The results are in and they’re overwhelmingly positive. We are delighted to report the resounding message that the Shipowners’ Club remains the go-to supplier for small and specialist vessel P&I insurance.

Did you know that skin is our largest and fastest growing organ? It has three important functions: