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CLUB SUPPORT In association with The Shipowners’ Club
Supporting Members in an increasingly complex world Operating a ship can now seem as much of an exercise in navigating the law, as it is in navigating the sea. A vessel can remedy errors of navigation by placing itself back on the desired course, but a single overlooked word in a contract or even a brief omission in regulatory compliance can have irreversible effects. Alexander McCooke, Claims Syndicate Manager - Offshore, The Shipowners’ Club looks at some of the ways that P&I Clubs are able to assist Members with the increasing legal complexity of the maritime world. The Marine Insurer P&I Special Edition | July 2020
The most direct way that Clubs assist their Members with legal matters sits at the core of what the Club does – protection. In carrying on their business, Members may face claims from a wide range of parties, as well as being the subject of investigations, fines or official orders from local authorities. They might need to enter Lloyds Open Forum contracts and be asked for ‘SOCPIC security’ or declare General Average and be unable to recover cargo interests’ proportion. They might have engaged in towage in an unfamiliar jurisdiction and be unsure about the efficacy of their agreement in the local courts. In all these cases and more, the Club and its claims team will be there to assist Members with advice on their position and to help them defend and settle any claims which are made against them. To help with this the Club also maintains close links with a range of correspondents, law firms and technical experts worldwide, who it can rely on for expert local knowledge and support. For those Members who take legal costs cover with the Club, an even wider range of assistance can be provided in any legal dispute Members might face.
