American Club News

An Indian agency has stepped in to provide safety certification for most of Gatik Ship Management's fleet, a major carrier of Russian oil to India, after Lloyd's Register and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) withdrew classification for many of its vessels, records show.Mumbai-based Gatik, which has emerged this year as a significant player in Russian oil transport, also recently reflagged at least four of its vessels to Mongolia, according to data from maritime platform Lloyd's List Intelligence.This followed the de-flagging of 36 of the Gatik-managed fleet by St.

Lloyd's Register has told India's Gatik Ship Management, which has become a major carrier of Russian oil since the Ukraine war, that it will withdraw certification of 21 of its vessels by June 3, the maritime services company told Reuters.It is the latest setback for Gatik, which was also been forced to find new flags for 36 of its ships after they were deflagged by the St. Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry."Lloyd's Register is committed to facilitating compliance with sanctions regulations on the trading of Russian oil," it said in an email to Reuters.

After 27 years’ service as Chief Executive Officer of Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc. (SCB), the Managers of the American P&I Club, Joe Hughes will stand down from that role on August 1, 2022. Dorothea Ioannou, currently Deputy Chief Operating Officer of SCB, will succeed Hughes as CEO from that date, making history as the first woman to ascend to the top executive position of an International Group P&I club in the 167 year history of the marine mutuals.At the same time, Vince Solarino will step down as Chief Operating Officer of SCB, Inc.

The American P&I Club and ABS have worked together to produce a new e-learning module on chemical tanker operations, brought to life by state-of-the-art animations by IDESS IT, a frequent contributor to the American Club’s loss prevention capabilities.The new e-learning module, entitled CHEMICAL TANK, has been developed in accordance with the IMO Model Course 1.03 Advance Training for Chemical Tanker Cargo Operations - 2016 Edition in compliance with the competency and knowledge requirements as contained in the 2010 STCW Code…

Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc. (SCB), the Managers of the American Club, has announced senior appointments to its management team in New York.  Dorothea Ioannou takes on the role of Deputy Chief Operating Officer (DCOO) with immediate effect, and Mary (Molly) McCafferty becomes Senior Vice President and Director of Claims for the Americas as from the beginning of September.

Collaboration between risk management and insurance sectors will focus on education, training and guidance to reduce maritime cyber riskABSG Consulting Inc. (ABS Consulting), a subsidiary of ABS focused on safety and risk management, and American Steamship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association, Inc. (the American Club) have joined forces to provide education, training and insurance guidance that address maritime cyber security.As digital transformation in the maritime industry brings both opportunities and new challenges…

“Weathering the Storm” salutes heroes of the sea in turbulent timesThe American Club and Eagle Ocean Marine (EOM) have produced a video entitled ‘Weathering the Storm’ which salutes the service of seafarers in these turbulent times as they seek to protect themselves in their vital work, at sea and in port, against the ravages of COVID-19.The video can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVTBZ0v1w4Q“As seafarers labor in their essential role of enabling global trade…

Boriana Farrar is a familiar face in maritime circles, the Vice President and Counsel and a Senior Claims Executive and Business Development Director for the Americas at the Ship Owners Claims Bureau, Inc. managers of the American P&I Club. We met with her in her NYC office to discuss her path from her native Bulgaria to a top maritime professional position.When Boriana Farrar moved from her native Bulgaria to the United States in 2001, she did so to be close to family, her mother and her sister who had already established a life in the U.S., some 5,000 miles from her homeland.

The American Club has released its latest loss prevention guidance, Bunkering – A Compendium, together with website access to a comprehensive approach to loss prevention initiatives demanded by new regulations and generally by supplying guidance on operations and management.The Compendium is intended to give guidance not only in respect of issues arising from the new MARPOL regulations coming into effect on January 1, 2020, but also in regard to best practice generally in the conduct of bunkering operations.Joseph E.M.

The subchapter M towboat rules, safety management systems, and an emerging culture shift on the inland waterways brings with it a fresh look at how to manage risk. Is it time for P&I clubs to return to brown water? And should inland operators welcome them home?A mass exodus from the inland marine sector by P&I clubs in the mid-1990’s was precipitated by many things. Today, these very same vessels have been put under the subchapter M regime, and most are adapting SMS as a culture in the process. Moreover, and without a doubt, the environmental record of this sector has improved 99% since the 1970’s. As all of that unfolds, the P&I clubs have begun to look at this sector more closely and…

Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc. (SCB), Managers of the American Club, has announced several senior appointments which have been made to enhance the capabilities of its global service teams.At the Club’s headquarters in New York, Margaret Lee has been appointed as Lead Counsel. With 20 years of experience in the industry, Lee is a New York-admitted attorney who worked in private practice before joining the Club’s management several years ago. Lee has particular expertise in occupational disease claims and, in addition to overseeing the wide – and diverse – range of legal matters which attend the operation of the Club and its Managers,…

Committed to providing tugboat and towing vessel operators with a platform to meet regularity requirements and collaborate with local resources, the annual event also reminds us that Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.On September 28 2018, American Marine Associates, LLC (AMA) coordinated and hosted the 3rd annual Green Apple Spill Response Exercise in Bayonne, NJ. The Green Apple Spill Response exercise was established specifically for the tugboat and towing vessel industry operating in New York Harbor.

Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc. (SCB), the Manager of the American P&I Club, has recently announced a series of appointments designed to service the Club’s growing membership and help fulfil longer-term goals of continued expansion. The American Club has grown its membership substantially over recent years, tonnage having increased by some 25 percent over the past 24 months, and these appointments are intended to consolidate the Club’s continuing service capabilities in the future.The…

American Hellenic Hull Insurance Company (AHHIC) has already provided cover for 1,000 vessels managed from Europe, the Americas and Asia, said said Vincent Solarino, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AHHIC and President and COO of Shipowners Claims Bureau, managers of the American Club. The company’s remarkable initial success that exceeds targets for first six months, underlines its ability to become a global player in the marine hull market as well as industry recognition of AHHIC’s backers and managers, he said. At the American Club we are very proud of the company and I am happy to say that American Hellenic is performing even better than we expected, he added. AHHIC gained its license as a Solvency-II compliant insurer from regulators in Cyprus on June 24th 2016.

The American P&I Club was founded in New York nearly a century ago. To celebrate its first 100 years, a book entitled The American Club: A Centennial History has just been published. The book tells the story of the Club across ten decades of maritime and marine insurance history both within the United States and across the world. Its author is Richard Blodgett, a former Wall Street Journal reporter whose previous credits include histories of the New York Stock Exchange, Kohler and Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The American Club was founded in February, 1917.

The American Club reported solid progress during 2015 at the annual meeting of its members held in New York yesterday. Despite a challenging economic climate, the Club’s business developed respectably, and 2016 had started on a positive note. The Club’s tonnage and revenue experienced some attenuation in 2015 as global trade slowed and freight markets continued to struggle. Following the 2016 renewal, year-on-year tonnage entered for P&I and FD&D risks was stable at about 14 million GT for the former and 9 million GT for the latter class of business…

Rising average temperatures are melting ice; the call goes out for heavy fuel oil to be regulated in Arctic. The Arctic is thawing even faster than lawmakers can formulate new rules to prevent the environmental threat of heavy fuel oil pollution from ships plying an increasingly popular trade route. Average Arctic temperatures are rising twice as fast as elsewhere in the world and the polar ice cap's permanent cover is shrinking at a rate of around 10 percent per decade. By the end of this century, summers in the Arctic could be free of ice. As the ice melts, traffic of ships carrying cargoes of gas, coal and diesel through the region has increased. Russia, in particular, is keen to expand shipping through the Arctic given its rich natural resources and efforts to cut costs.

At its meeting in New York on November 20, the American Club’s board resolved to levy a general premium increase of 2.5 percent for P&I cover, but no increase in the cost of FD and D for the 2016 policy year. The club’s board also reviewed release call requirements for open policy years, reducing the margins for 2013 and 2014, and undertaking to revisit the 2015 figure in the first half of 2016. In reaching these decisions, the board took account of the club’s recent performance against a background of the overall economic climate…

Leaders in the shipping community will gather from across the country to discuss the emerging challenges facing the shipping industry. Speakers will include Joseph Hughes, Chairman & CEO, The American Club, Emilian Papadopoulos, Chief of Staff, Good Harbor Security Risk Management, Nathalie Sykora, Vice President Global Technical Services at The CSL Group, to name a few. For full details visit www.wista2015agm.com or contact conference coordinators at [email protected] with any questions.

The American Club reported solid progress during 2014 at the annual meeting of its members held in New York today. Despite a challenging economic climate, the club’s business had developed favorably, and 2015 had started on a positive note. Tonnage and revenue grew strongly at the outset of 2014, but faded slightly later in the year as freight markets struggled. However, premium pricing remained firm, despite the enduring effect of “churn” as older, higher-rated vessels continued to be replaced by younger, lower-rated ships.

Eagle Ocean Marine (EOM), the specialist fixed premium P&I and FD&D (Freight, Demurrage and Defense) facility underwritten by the American Club, has reported a solid fourth year of operations, and a strong start to its fifth year of activity, following the successful renewal of its quota-share and excess of loss reinsurances with Lloyd’s underwriters as of July 1, 2015. Over the past year, tonnage insured by Eagle Ocean Marine grew by nearly 20 percent over the figure for the previous twelve months, on a premium income of over $6 million.

On November 13, the newly formed New York Maritime Consortium, a coalition of leaders from New York Maritime Inc. (NYMAR), the Society of Maritime Arbitrators (SMA), the Maritime Law Association (MLA) and the Association of Shipbrokers and Agents (ASBA), will host an event entitled “New York and London: Perception and Reality”. According to the event’s organizers, key industry figures from the areas of finance, arbitration and law from both sides of the Atlantic have been invited to illustrate the strengths of each jurisdiction, and how the two relate to each other. Chief Judge Loretta Preska of the Southern District of New York Federal Court will moderate the event. The forum will be held from 2:30-6 p.m. at The Harvard Club.

Katherine Wang, who is well known in Asian P&I circles, has joined the American Club as assistant vice president and marketing manager for Greater China and Northern Asia. In the first instance she will be stationed in the Hong Kong office of the club's managers, Shipowners Claims Bureau, and thereafter will be deployed to Dalian in Northern China - where in fact she graduated from Dalian Maritime University, obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree in International Shipping Transportation. Ms Wang joins SCB from another international group P&I club, where she was employed as an underwriter. Prior to that, she worked at China Shipping (Hong Kong) Marine Co. Ltd. in its chartering department, specialising in the dry bulk sector.