Legal and contractual issues, piracy and crime, and international sanctions are the most important areas of concern to merchant shipowners, according to a recent survey by the UK P&I Club. Close behind are crewing and personnel, insurance regulation, loss prevention, environmental legislation, shipboard risk management, cargo preparation and stowage, and port state control. Consequently, owners want information and advice from their P&I clubs on how to tackle the problems associated with these areas. Their priorities have been revealed by the UK P&I Club’s latest member survey. As one of the world’s largest marine mutuals, the UK P&I Club’s 122 million gross tons of international merchant shipping provides a representative cross section of the industry.
