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SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY In association with Skytek
Avoiding underwriting illegal activity at sea Sanctions-breaching is on the rise - Dr. Sarah Bourke (pic) and Capt. Gabriel Zevri of Skytek look at how satellite technology and analytics can protect insurers from undue risk. Data from outer space provides the key to problems on the seas below. From underwriting to compliance to risk, Irish space company Skytek’s award-winning Marine Aggregate Tool technology is designed help the insurance and reinsurance sectors answer the hardest questions they face. Vessels are “going dark” in global hotspots, turning off transponders in an attempt to evade sanctions and embargoes. Capt. Gabriel Zevri, a longtime master mariner now The Marine Insurer P&I Special Edition | July 2020
marine manager at software solutions developer Skytek, says relying on vessels to self-report and cross referencing with actuarial information will give a severely limited and delayed picture. And that is the best case scenario. “There is a lot going on at sea, and if people don’t want it to be seen, they will work hard to try and hide it,” says Capt. Zevri. One recent report from the Associated Press newswire, published on 13 July this near noted that, while sanctions had seen port calls in Venezuela plummet by 46%, the Gulf of Venezuela and Venezeulan Carribean sea were
