Fire Insurance News

NYK agreed to obtain all the shares of Mitsubishi Ore Transport Co., Ltd. (MOT) from Mitsubishi Corp. (MC), Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (Tokio Marine & Nichido), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), making MOT its wholly-owned subsidiary.MOT is a joint company of NYK, which owns a 40.28% stake, MC, Tokio Marine & Nichido, and MHI, mainly operating vessel management and ship-owning businesses with 17 ships consisting of bulkers, pure car and truck carriers, and wood-chip carriers.

Japanese insurers are expected to continue providing marine war insurance which covers the sinking and requisition of ships due to war in Russian waters after Jan. 1, the Nikkei daily said on Thursday.Japan's Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Sompo Japan Insurance and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance told shipowners last Friday that from Jan. 1 they would stop offering insurance coverage for ship damage caused by war in Russian waters, because reinsurers were withdrawing coverage.

Japan, the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, is facing its latest challenge in securing vital gas supplies from Russia after Western reinsurers said they would halt marine war insurance for ships travelling in Russian waters from Jan. 1.Having joined other G7 countries in imposing sweeping sanctions on Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine, Japan has been reducing its reliance on Russian oil and coal, but it continues to buy Russian LNG amid elevated prices in a tight…

Three Japanese insurance companies that are set to halt marine coverage of risks related to the war in Ukraine starting next month are in talks with reinsurers to resume those operations, they said on Monday. Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Sompo Japan Insurance and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance on Friday told shipowners that they would stop offering marine war insurance, which covers damage to ships from war in Russian waters, from Jan. 1, spokespeople at the companies said. Their comments confirmed local media reports on Saturday.

A group of Japanese partner companies have signed onto a project initiated by Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd. to build the world's first zero-emission, fully electric-propulsion bunker supply vessel.The so-called e5 Consortium, including Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd., Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Exeno Yamamizu Corporation, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., Tokyo Electric Power Company, and Mitsubishi Corporation, say they will work toward developing, realizing and commercializing zero-emission electric vessels.

John Moy has joined the team at Water Quality Insurance Syndicate as Vice President of Underwriting. John will lead the WQIS underwriting department. John came to WQIS from Crum & Forster where he served as the Vice President of United States Fire Insurance Company for the past five years. Previous to his tenure there, he was the Regional Underwriting Manager at XL America, working in marine and offshore energy insurance. With a Bachelors of Science in Marine Transportation from Kings Point, Moy started his career as a naval architect before becoming a marine liability insurance underwriter. He also honorably served as a Lieutenant Commander in  the US Naval Reserve until 2012.

Singapore –Bunker Insurance The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) issued a circular providing the names of additional insurers and underwriters that it has accepted for purposes of issuing Bunker Convention Certificates. The insurers and underwriters include: ·         QBE Insurance (International) Limited ·         British Marine Luxembourg S.A. ·         Navigators Insurance Company ·         Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. ·         Tokio Marine Insurance Singapore Ltd. ·         China Shipowners Mutual Assurance Association ·         The Korea Shipowner's Mutual Protection & Indemnity Association (www.mpa.gov.sg)

Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Co. and Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance Co. on Tuesday announced terms under which they will merge next October, creating Japan's largest non-life insurer with assets of 5.7 trillion yen ($51.6 billion). In a joint statement, the companies said 1.09 Mitsui Marine shares will be allocated for one Sumitomo Marine share. The merged entity will be named Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. with Mitsui Marine president Takeo Iguchi and Sumitomo Marine president Hiroyuki Uemura serving as co-chief executive officers. Mitsui Marine, currently Japan's third-largest casualty insurer, and fourth-ranked Sumitomo Marine agreed to merge in March.

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that, under Michigan law, a builders risk insurance policy is a form of inland marine insurance and is controlled by the statute of limitations applicable thereto. For our purposes, the decision is probably most interesting in its historical analysis of the insurance industry and the division of casualty insurance into two large groups: fire insurance and marine insurance. Under Michigan law, fire insurance claims must be submitted within one year of the casualty. All other casualty insurance claims are subject to a six-year statute of limitations. [Source: HK Law]

Interest is building up in this year’s annual conference of the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI), being held in Tokyo, September 17-20. New registrations by underwriters are still being received, but already the overall level of attendance seems likely to equal the Singapore conference in 2004, when the total was nearly 400. The London market alone will be represented by more than 40 underwriters from the Lloyd’s and company markets. The IUMI conference will be hosted by the General Insurance Association of Japan for the third time. The previous two occasions were in 1985 and 1995. Shoji Miyanaka (Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. Ltd.) is a vice-chairman on IUMI’s executive committee.

Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance and Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance have agreed to merge by April 1, 2002, in a move that would create Japan's largest non-life insurer. With combined assets of $51.7 billion, the merged company would outstrip current industry leader Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance, whose assets stand at $48.5 billion. Mitsui Marine is Japan's third largest non-life insurer, and Sumitomo Marine the fourth biggest. Analysts say the merger is set to accelerate consolidation in the sector, where competition is intensifying due mainly to the deregulation of insurance premiums in July 1998. Sumitomo Marine and Mitsui Marine said they will unveil a detailed merger plan in March. Both companies had said two weeks ago that they were in talks on forming an alliance.

Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance and Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance agreed to merge by April 1, 2002, in a move that would create Japan's largest non-life insurer. With combined assets of $51.7 billion, the merged company will outstrip current industry leader Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance, whose assets stand at $48.5 billion. Analysts say the merger will accelerate consolidation in the sector, where competition is intensifying, due mainly to the deregulation of insurance premiums in July 1998. The companies will unveil a detailed merger plan in March.

The U.S. Supreme Court has invited the Solicitor General to file a brief expressing the views of the United States in the case of Green Fire Insurance Company v. M/V Hyundai Liberty. In this case (decided in 2002 by the Ninth Circuit under the name of Kukje Hwajae Insurance v. M/V Hyundai Liberty), the appellate court held, among other things, that the forum selection clause in the ship owner's bill of lading was controlling as regards an action brought against the ship for damage to cargo carried on board.