P&I club Steamship Mutual has linked with healthcare insurance provider Allianz Worldwide Care with the aim of ensuring ship crews have “complete insurance coverage”. Under a preferred partnership deal, Steamship Mutual will cover an owner’s liability to his crew, while Allianz Worldwide Care will insure the crew themselves for medical and healthcare expenses at a “competitive” rate.
Steamship Mutual said that it had been focusing its recent loss prevention initiatives on crew welfare, “so this new cooperation is a natural progression for the club”. It added that “having a healthy crew on board should result in fewer claims and less operational disruption for the Club’s Members”.
The Alliance Worldwide Care insurance will be personal to each crewmember, providing cover for medical costs, without deductible, irrespective of a shipowner’s liability.
Speaking at the announcement of the partnership, Gary Rynsard, Executive Chairman, Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd, said: “Every time a crewmember is sick or has an accident, there is a cost to our Members’ business. So Steamship Mutual is delighted to have entered into this agreement with Allianz Worldwide Care to offer all our Members, large or small, the opportunity to protect their crew at competitive prices.”