Aid-carrying charity vessel Open Arms (IMO 7325887) has succeeded in the first port-free maritime shipment of aid to Gaza, towing a barge to near the surf zone at a rapidly constructed jetty. NGOs World Central Kitchen (WCK) and Open Arms towed a small barge with about 200 tonnes of food aid to the coast of…
JH Blades and MS Amlin strike energy liability underwriting partnership
Houston-based wholesale broker and managing general agent JH Blades has signed a master underwriting agreement with re/insurer MS Amlin. The new facility will focus on upstream oil and gas liability risks, with clients being onshore and offshore operators that have fully operational extraction facilities in the US and abroad. It will use JH Blades’ tailored…
Lance Thorp joins broker Miller’s fine art and specie team
Miller Insurance Services has recruited Lance Thorpe to the role of Specie Account Executive. Thrope has 15 years of experience across the sector, most recently working as an underwriter at Everest. He has also held both underwriting and broking roles during his career, including Parker Norfolk & Partners and Willis Towers Watson. The Fine Art…
Guinea: new threat for vessels loading bauxite
Budd Guinea, part of the international marine services and Correspondent group Budd, has said that in recent months it had observed a hardening in the attitude of the Ministry of Mines and Geology (MMG) personnel, who carry out mandatory draft surveys on board vessels loading bauxite. Budd noted that the MMG was now threatening to…
Dun & Bradstreet partners with Concirrus
Data and analytics provider Dun & Bradstreet is linking up with marine insurance intelligence provider Concirrus to help solve cargo aggregation and visibility Concirrus said that the “unique partnership” would tackle “unknown port, vessel, and ultimately warehouse cargo aggregations amidst rising global trade disruptions”. Concirrus said that the new unique data and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven…
Zara owner warns of one-week delays due to Red Sea crisis
Inditex, the owner of Zara, has said that average shipping times had been delayed by about a week because of the current situation in the Red Sea, with container ships carrying its products diverting via the Cape of Good Hope. Inditex said in its annual report, published on Thursday March 14th, that “shipping costs may…
EU ombudsman criticizes handling of 2023 migrant boat tragedy
The European Union’s Ombudsman has criticized the handling of the 2023 migrant boat tragedy in the Mediterranean, during which more than 600 people are thought to have drowned. In a just-published report it has also questioned fundamental issues related to the operations of Frontex, the EU’s Border and Coast Guard agency. The report said that…
US compliance note details obligations of non-US persons re sanctions
The US Department of Commerce, Department of the Treasury and Department of Justice has issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note highlighting the need for foreign-based (non-US) persons to abide by the US sanctions and export control laws, reports American Club. It encouraged members to review the Compliance Note, which is at: https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/932746/download?inline The Compliance Note, released…
NorthStandard partners with Orca AI
NorthStandard and Orca AI have entered an exclusive partnership which will see NorthStandard encourage its members to adopt Orca AI’s market-leading automated situational awareness solution. After successful testing, insurer NorthStandard has decided to subsidize the use of AI-driven collision avoidance aboard its customers’ ships. Under a new program, it will help pay for installation and…
Opportunities lost in Africa from Red Sea traffic diversions
Inefficient and aging ports in South Africa and some other African nations have meant that what could have been a golden opportunity as a result of a large number of ships diverting away from Suez and around the Cape of Good Hope, could be squandered, reports Bloomberg. The number of vessels sailing around the southern…