Health Insurance News

America's largest military shipbuilding group Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) said its Ingalls Shipbuilding division plans to hire approximately 3,000 full-time shipbuilders.Ingalls’ talent acquisition team has been recruiting across Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, and will return to Pascagoula on June 10 to host a hiring event at Ingalls’ new human resources building. The company is hiring ship fitters, electricians, pipefitters, pipe welders and structural welders and seeking applicants with mechanical…

A U.S. Coast Guard said it medevaced a woman from a containership off the Washington coast Saturday after she was having difficulty breathing and experiencing temporary unconsciousness.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound command center received a call at 11:30 a.m. from the ship’s health insurance provider stating the 65-year-old woman required medical attention.At the time, the 710-foot container ship, Matson Kodiak, was transiting westbound in the Strait of Juan…

Future Care, Inc. CEO Christina DeSimone presented at this year’s CMA Shipping 2017 Conference, held in Stamford, Conn., where she discussed the mitigation of crewmember medical claims utilizing innovative techniques, such as Tele-Medical Physician Advice at Sea and Future Care’s unique Caring for the Crew Program. DeSimone focused on the idea that medical triage for crewmembers begins on board the vessel, and should be utilized for any medical incident, no matter how small. Primary health care aliments in particular require immediate treatment on board…

PensionDanmark, Danica and Navigare Capital Partners have established the Maritime Investment Fund I, which, based on capital from the founders, shall build a diversified portfolio of maritime assets including dry bulk, container, offshore, product, crude oil and chemical tankers, to put on charter to operators. The fund will be managed by Navigare Capital Partners, which consists of partners with broad based shipping experience. ”The new investment fund will give institutional investors a possibility to invest in a broad portfolio of vessels. This is new and very positive for shipping in Denmark, “Blue Denmark”, says Henrik Ramskov…

Mombasa, Kenya port workers end strike and returned to work on Friday after being warned they could lose their jobs, reports Reuters. However the members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC-K) said protests over changes to their health care costs could resume next week and aims to push the government to revoke the higher deductions for its national health insurance scheme. Sylvan Mghanga, an official at the port's communications department, said workers had returned to work fearing they would lose their jobs. "The management has never made such an announcement before, so it shocked and scared everyone, and that is why they have returned," said Mghanga, referring to a Friday morning deadline for striking workers to resume duty or be fired.

The Kenya Ports Authority said on Thursday striking workers at the Mombasa port should resume work by Friday morning or lose their jobs, and that normal activities at East Africa's biggest port will resume July 6. The workers are disputing higher deductions for the government's national health insurance scheme, officials said. "Any employee who will not report or discharge his or her duties will be deemed to have forfeited their appointment," the authority said in a notice to workers announcing the deadline. Reporting by Joseph Akwiri

More than 2,000 workers at East Africa's biggest port in Kenya's coastal city Mombasa went on strike on Wednesday protesting an increase in the amount they will have to pay for state-run health insurance. Cargo ships remained unattended as workers gathered and held discussions in groups at the port, the biggest in the region, which handles imports such as fuel for Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. "The operations section is among those affected but senior officials at the port are currently meeting, and will communicate later," Sylvan Mghanga, an official from the corporate communications department at the port, told Reuters.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare, the recent healthcare plan in the United States, is affecting the international superyacht industry, according to yacht insurance expert Eva Maria Karlsson of Superyacht Insurance Group (SYIG). Maria, who is president/broker at SYIG, said, “The biggest challenge presently is Obamacare. Interestingly enough, it’s actually affecting the international marine industry, in that we now have to cope with tighter guidelines regarding time spent in-and-out of the U.S. waters. Most underwriters require that the yachts spend at least six months outside the U.S. in a 12-month period. It doesn’t matter that the yacht is registered outside the U.S. and the crew are non-U.S. “Some underwriters can’t even provide coverage for U.S.

SBM Offshore NV has settled a bribery case with Dutch prosecutors for $240 million, including a $40,000 fine, sending shares in the Dutch oil platform leasing firm up more than 20 percent on Wednesday. The settlement, which was in line with provisions already taken, ends a two-and-a-half year inquiry into improper payments to government officials in Angola, Brazil and Equatorial Guinea by sales agents between 2007 and 2011. The settlement means that SBM Offshore will not be prosecuted in the Netherlands, but the individuals involved could face charges in other countries.

Allianz Group achieved strong results in the second quarter of 2014. Total quarterly revenues increased 10.0 percent to 29.46 (second quarter of 2013: 26.78) billion euros. Operating profit climbed 17.1 percent to 2.77 (2.37) billion euros. Net income attributable to shareholders amounted to 1.76 (1.59) billion euros, an increase of 10.5 percent. In the first half of the year, Allianz Group reported the highest total revenues in the company’s history. Total revenues rose 7.8 percent to 63.42 (58.82) billion euros. Operating profit climbed 6.4 percent to 5.49 (5.16) billion euros, while net income attributable to shareholders advanced 3.0 percent to 3.40 (3.30) billion euros in the first six months of the year.

Denise Rucker Krepp, former Maritime Administration Chief Counsel who currently advocates on behalf of the U.S. domestic ship recycling industry, issued a statement at the Coast Guard Shipping Coordinating Committee Meeting March 12, 2014, in Preparation for the April 2014 Maritime Environment Protection Committee Meeting. Below are her comments. Good morning. My name is Denise Krepp and I am representing EMR-Southern Recycling. As I mentioned last year, EMR-Southern Recycling is the premier metal recycling operation in the U.S.

Vessel operators seek protection by hedging fuel needs. It’s easier than you might think. Some workboat operators defend themselves against higher diesel prices by buying futures contracts, while others purchase fuel at prices fixed in advance from their suppliers. Others, perhaps less-savvy and/or smaller companies, however, take their chances by buying in the spot market. While some operators are uncertain about their future fuel requirements and consumption, domestic ferry operators for the most part know exactly what they’ll need in the year ahead.

Global health insurer Allianz Worldwide Care say they have launched a new plan which offers a compliant solution for on-shore health care to shipping companies affected by the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006), commonly known as the “Seafarers’ Bill of Rights”. MLC 2006, which came into force in August 2013, requires shipping companies to provide comprehensive rights and protection to the world’s 1.2 million seafarers, including the provision of a minimum level of healthcare cover.

The North P&I Club launched a new campaign for 2014 aimed at reminding members of the importance of providing high quality healthcare while avoiding excessive medical costs, the club said. An information sheet entitled 'People Claims: Controlling the Cost' is being circulated to all entered ships and members' offices this week with the latest issue of the club's loss prevention newsletter Signals. "Illness and injuries are an unfortunate aspect of living and working on ships, as are the associated costs of treatment," said North's head of loss prevention Tony Baker. Baker points out that any illness or injury claim on board is immediately made more serious by the vessel’s distance from port.

Crewsure appointed G2 Crew Services, the recently formed partnership between Griffin Global Group Limited and Gulf Agency Company Limited, to act as its global correspondent. Crewsure provides medical and personal accident insurance directly to crew and is underwritten by the Munich Group, one of the world's leading Insurance Companies. The benefits provided are tailored to meet the needs of crew and the latest requirements of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC). “Crewsure complements…

Jones Act and LHWCA employers must protect Medicare’s interest or pay the price. It may be boring, but it is important. Read and heed. Attention maritime entities that employ Jones Act Seamen covered by liability insurance, including self-insurance, or land based employees covered by no-fault insurance or any workers’ compensation act:  you MUST protect Medicare interests. These plans are also known as Non-Group Health Plans (NGHP). Failure could mean a fine of $1,000.00 per day per claim or liable to reimburse Medicare for payments made to a claimant.

On Monday, February 7, 2011, Transpetro opened the selection process for the immediate admission of 342 officers of the Merchant Marine to man the vessels operating in its fleet. The period to register for the contest - which is free of charge - ends on April 4. The public notice and the registration form are available on the company's website (www.transpetro.com.br) or can be picked up at the addresses that are listed in the notice itself. To fill these 342 openings, Transpetro foresees for the registration of the 394 best qualified candidates. In total, 204 candidates will be registered for the position of 2nautical officer, of which 177 for immediate admission, and 190 candidates for the 2 engine officer, of which 165 for immediate admission.

The Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay, in a coordinated effort with business leaders and local longshore unions, today called on President Bush to repeal the Section 201 tariffs imposed on steel imports in March of last year. This action was taken following the release of the International Trade Commission (ITC) report on the effects of the steel tariffs on domestic steel-consuming industries and domestic steel producers. In a letter to President Bush, Maritime Exchange President Dennis Rochford, cited the adverse economic impact these tariffs have had on the tri-state regional port complex. "Steel ship arrivals will drop from 210 last year to 150 by the end of this year.

Avondale Shipbuilding employees voted to approve the terms of their first union contract with Litton Industries. The company's 1,500 Metal Trades -represented workers approved the agreement by a four-to-one margin. The 45-month agreement, negotiated by the New Orleans Metal Trades Council, provides an immediate three percent wage hike in January as part of an overall nine percent wage hike paid in three increments. Also in the area of wages, the contract sets up a formal skill progression system that will move the majority of employees into higher-paid categories after working 500 hours in any lower classification. Wages under the agreement range from $8.25/hour for semi-skilled new hires to $16/hour at the top of the highest skill level.