Liberia’s WayPoint takes client interface standards to new levels

Liberia has further strengthened its reputation as the world’s most technologically advanced and sophisticated ship register with a major upgrade of WayPoint, its state-of-the-art web-based client interface system.

When WayPoint was launched in late-2016, it provided the owners and operators of Liberian-flag ships with secure, real-time, user-friendly access to their fleet details and allowed them to apply for International Convention certification such as Civil Liability, Bunker Civil Liability, Wreck Convention and Ballast Water Management Convention certificates. Now, the effectiveness of WayPoint has been significantly expanded by the addition of a number of enhanced features.

WayPoint is on a different level to any other client interface system currently available to the users of ship registry services. Owners and operators are now better able to manage their fleet-wide regulatory compliance. WayPoint provides easy and intuitive access to information about vessels’ last Annual Safety Inspection data, when inspections are due for renewal, and indication of scheduled inspections. The range of certificates which can be viewed and obtained has been expanded to include those relating to the Maritime Labour Convention, including DMLC Parts 1 and 11, SMC, and ISSC, and documents of compliance (DOC). The facility also exists to transmit certificates and related information directly from the registry.

Scott Bergeron, CEO of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, says, “Liberia is way ahead of any other ship registry in the world in terms of its technological proficiency and efficiency. Now, it is further ahead still, with the launch of its upgraded WayPoint system.

“In today’s hi-tech world, ship owners and operators need instant access to a vast range of information, including their fleet details, their certificates, and their inspection schedules. WayPoint not only provides this access, but it is reinventing the way that shipowners will interact with their flag state and offering efficiencies that will facilitate regulatory compliance in meaningful ways. The end result is less focus on bureaucracy and tedious co-ordination, and greater emphasis on meeting regulatory objectives.

“Shipping is a round-the-clock business. It never sleeps, and neither should ship registers, which must be able to provide information whenever it is needed, wherever it is needed, at any time of the day or night. Liberia is ahead of the game in this respect, and the owners and operators of Liberian-flag ships are the beneficiaries, with guaranteed access to the information they need to keep their fleets moving safely and efficiently.”

The Liberian Registry is already working on a complete suite of further upgrades that will expand the portfolio of online services which Liberia is able to offer.

WayPoint is accessible to clients through https://waypoint.liscr.com. Clients of the registry may apply for user access via the WayPoint homepage.

The Liberian Registry is the world’s most technologically advanced maritime administration. It has a long-established track record of combining the highest standards of safety for vessels and crews with the highest levels of responsive and innovative service to owners. Moreover, it has a well-deserved reputation for supporting international legislation designed to maintain and improve the safety and effectiveness of the shipping industry and protection of the marine environment. www.liscr.com

allison.wilson@liscr.com

Seacurus calls for enforcement of Port State Control regulations on MLC

Specialist marine insurance intermediary Seacurus has called for proper enforcement of Port State Control regulations in the lead-up to adoption of amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 designed to protect abandoned seafarers and seafarers injured in occupational accidents.

The MLC amendments are scheduled to enter force in early 2017, at which point those countries which have ratified MLC 2006 will be bound by those amendments unless 40 per cent of ratifying nations reject the new provisions in writing.

Before then, however, on 20 August 2014, an ILO resolution agreed by member states in 2006 comes into effect whereby full Port State Control (PSC) can be applied by nations which are a party to MLC 2006, regardless of whether or not the ships being inspected are flagged with nations which have ratified the convention. This is the so-called ‘no more favourable treatment’ clause which seeks to ensure a level playing field whereby ships of countries which have ratified MLC 2006 will not be placed at a competitive disadvantage.

Seacurus managing director Thomas Brown says, “This rigorous inspection programme may force shipowners to demonstrate to PSC inspectors that the crew managers and seafarer recruitment and placement services with whom they work can confirm compliance with Regulation 1.4 of MLC 2006 by providing evidence of a system of financial security to cover seafarers’ monetary loss in the event of their employers’ contractual default.

“It is to be hoped that this regulation, if properly enforced by PSC, will offer a degree of protection to those at sea over the next two and a half years, while the industry prepares for the now inevitable regulatory requirement in 2017.”


Seacurus Ltd, part of the Barbican Insurance Group and authorised and regulated by the FCA, is an insurance broker founded in 2004, specialising in bespoke revenue protection cover for the maritime industry. In 2013 it launched CrewSEACURE, the first ever insurance policy designed exclusively to protect the rights of seafarers when ships are abandoned at sea. Seacurus is a market leader in the design and implementation of solutions to protect companies from unforecasted balance-sheet impacts, including credit default, charter party cancellations, hijackings and voyage disruptions caused by political events. Seacurus established the first delegated underwriting binding authority for marine kidnap insurance and is an approved Lloyd’s Coverholder. www.seacurus.com


Formed in 2007, Barbican Insurance Group underwrites business predominantly through its Syndicates at Lloyd’s. It also has a non-Lloyd’s financial solutions business based in Guernsey which offers insurance and reinsurance programmes to the global market and number of service companies including, Barbican Underwriting Limited, Castel Underwriting Agencies Limited, Professional Indemnity Protect Limited and Seacurus Limited.

Barbican Syndicates at Lloyd’s have a stamp capacity of £250m for the 2014 year of account and underwrite marine, aviation and transport re/insurance, property re/insurance and specialty lines including casualty reinsurance, cyber liability, healthcare liability, financial and professional lines and professional indemnity.

www.barbicaninsurance.com

Seacurus debates MLC abandonment insurance issues with UK Trade Minister

During a recent tour of north-east England, Lord Livingston, the UK’s Minister for Trade and Investment, visited the Gateshead headquarters of Seacurus which, in April 2013, launched CrewSEACURE, the first ever insurance policy designed exclusively to protect the rights of seafarers when ships are abandoned at sea.

Seacurus has a well-established relationship with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), having received expert advice and support from its Passport to Export scheme which helped the company to develop 99 per cent of its insurance premium income from overseas markets. As such, Seacurus was selected as one of only three companies in the north-east of England to meet with the minister.

Commenting on the visit, Thomas Brown, managing director of Seacurus, said, “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to meet with Lord Livingston and to discuss with him our work with the international shipping industry to deliver bespoke insurance solutions.

“While Seacurus is a relatively small organisation, our market expertise, willingness to innovate and commitment to serving the marine sector has enabled us to secure a prominent position in the global market, to deliver important marine insurance solutions that tackle difficult modern day problems such as piracy and seafarer abandonment. The recent acquisition of our company by the Barbican Insurance Group can only serve to enhance our global reach.”

During the visit, Lord Livingston heard about recent international regulatory developments affecting the rights of seafarers in cases of abandonment. Commenting on these discussions, Thomas Brown said, “Such regulatory developments have a positive effect on the welfare of 1.2 million seafarers serving at sea today and Seacurus is leading the development of bespoke insurance solutions to address the specific needs of the Maritime Labour Convention in this regard.

“We are proud to be a part of the UK-based insurance industry that has a long history of world-leading innovation. Through CrewSEACURE, we have provided the shipping industry with a cost-effective means of meeting all its financial security obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention, and we hope that it will become an integral part of the industry’s efforts to protect its seafarers.”

Seacurus Ltd, part of the Barbican Insurance Group, is an FCA-regulated insurance broker founded in 2004, specialising in bespoke revenue protection cover for the maritime industry. It is a market leader in the design and implementation of solutions to protect companies from unforecasted balance-sheet impacts, including credit default, charter party cancellations, hijackings and voyage disruptions caused by political events. Seacurus established the first delegated underwriting binding authority for marine kidnap insurance and is an approved Lloyd’s Coverholder. www.seacurus.com

Formed in 2007, Barbican Insurance Group underwrites business predominantly through its syndicates at Lloyd’s. It also has a non-Lloyd’s financial solutions business based in Guernsey which offers insurance and reinsurance programmes to the global market, and a number of service companies including Barbican Underwriting Limited, Castel Underwriting Agencies Limited, Professional Indemnity Protect Limited and Seacurus Limited.

Barbican Syndicates at Lloyd’s have a stamp capacity of £250m for the 2014 year of account and underwrite marine, aviation and transport re/insurance, property re/insurance and specialty lines, including casualty reinsurance, cyber liability, healthcare liability, financial and professional lines and professional indemnity.

Seacurus calls for speedy implementation of MLC amendments

Specialist marine insurance intermediary Seacurus has welcomed the agreement to include in the Maritime Labour Convention unpaid crew wages in the event of abandonment, and has called for the earliest possible implementation of draft proposals to amend the Convention accordingly

Agreement was reached between shipowners, governments, seafarers, NGOs and other organisations meeting at the special Tripartite Committee of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) headquarters in Geneva this month. At the meeting, all parties were willing to see abandonment provisions included in the Convention. Draft amendments were duly finalised and accepted almost unanimously.

Thomas Brown, managing director of Seacurus, says, “This is a decision which should be welcomed by all parties in the maritime industry. Now that it has been taken, it is in everybody’s interest to press ahead without delay.

“It was encouraging to note the pragmatic approach adopted by all parties at the STC meeting. The amendments will now be submitted to the International Labour Conference in June 2014, after which a prescribed period will be set for member states to register any disagreement to the changes. The amendments will come into force six months thereafter. The meeting in Geneva discussed the prescribed period being one year, and it is to be hoped that this will be confirmed in June.

“The requirement for cover will be mandatory on all shipowners, thereby eliminating any uncertainty. Moreover, such cover already exists in the form of the CrewSEACURE policy created last year by Seacurus which provides indemnification in the event of the financial default of seafarers’ employers, and offers recompense in respect of unpaid crew wages. The policy will enable all employers of seafarers to meet their regulatory obligations under MLC 2006. The cover is available now, and it is affordable.

“Any attempt at unreasonable delay in implementing the MLC amendments should be strongly resisted.”

Seacurus Ltd, part of the Barbican Insurance Group, is an FCA-regulated insurance broker founded in 2004, specialising in bespoke revenue protection cover for the maritime industry. It is a market leader in the design and implementation of solutions to protect companies from unforecasted balance-sheet impacts, including credit default, charter party cancellations, hijackings and voyage disruptions caused by political events. Seacurus established the first delegated underwriting binding authority for marine kidnap insurance and is an approved Lloyd’s Coverholder. www.seacurus.com

Formed in 2007, Barbican Group Holdings is an insurance group writing business predominantly through its syndicates at Lloyd’s. It also has a non-Lloyd’s financial solutions business based in Guernsey which offers insurance and reinsurance programmes to the global market. Barbican Syndicates 1955 and 6113 at Lloyd’s has a stamp capacity of £227.5m for the 2013 year of account and underwrites cyber liability, financial and professional lines, healthcare liability, international casualty reinsurance, marine insurance, marine reinsurance, North American casualty reinsurance, property, property reinsurance and corporate, middle market and scheme/affinity group clients in the UK and Ireland. www.barbicaninsurance.com

Seacurus wins award for seafarers’ abandonment insurance policy

The policy launched this year by specialist marine insurance intermediary Seacurus Ltd to indemnify seafarers in the event of the financial default of their employers has been recognised as the Broking Initiative of the Year at the Insider Honours 2013 award ceremony.

The award recognises Seacurus’s innovative approach to tackling the long-standing issue of how to safeguard the rights of seafarers in cases of abandonment. In April 2013, Seacurus, part of the Barbican Insurance Group, launched CrewSEACURE, the first product designed exclusively to address the issues and liabilities arising from the stranding of crew members and to satisfy the legal requirements under the new Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, which has been dubbed ‘the seafarer’s bill of rights.’

The award was launched in 2012 by Insider Publishing Ltd, whose titles include The Insurance Insider. It was presented to Thomas Brown, managing director of Seacurus, at the event, which was held in London. The judges highlighted CrewSEACURE’s ability to ‘provide a lifeline for people wherever they are in the world in the face of extreme financial pressures,’ adding, ‘This product addresses a long-standing global problem and is a watershed moment for the industry’.

Commenting on the award, Brown said, “On behalf of my colleagues at Seacurus, we are delighted and honoured to have been recognised for our efforts to provide a pragmatic and affordable solution to the problem of seafarer abandonment. CrewSEACURE not only offers a lifeline to those crew members who have been set adrift by their ship owners, but also helps to translate the goals of MLC 2006 into tangible benefits for seafarers.”

Seacurus Ltd is an FCA-regulated insurance broker, founded in 2004, specialising in bespoke revenue protection cover for the maritime industry. It is a market leader in the design and implementation of solutions to protect companies from unforecasted balance-sheet impacts, including credit default, charter party cancellations, hijackings and voyage disruptions caused by political events. Seacurus established the first delegated underwriting binding authority for marine kidnap insurance and is an approved Lloyd’s Coverholder.

Formed in 2007, Barbican Group Holdings is an insurance group writing business predominantly through its syndicates at Lloyd’s. It also has a non-Lloyd’s financial solutions business based in Guernsey which offers insurance and reinsurance programmes to the global market. Barbican Syndicates 1955 and 6113 at Lloyd’s has a stamp capacity of £227.5m for the 2013 year of account and underwrites cyber liability, financial and professional lines, healthcare liability, international casualty reinsurance, marine insurance, marine reinsurance, North American casualty reinsurance, property, property reinsurance and corporate, middle market and scheme/affinity group clients in the UK and Ireland. www.barbicaninsurance.com

Seacurus provides industry first with insurance cover for unpaid crew wages

SPECIALIST marine insurance intermediary Seacurus has launched a new insurance policy to indemnify seafarers in the event of the financial default of their employers which, for the first time, offers recompense in respect of unpaid crew wages. The policy will enable all employers of seafarers to meet their regulatory obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC), which enters force on 20 August, 2013.             

The new policy, CrewSEACURE, provides up to $10m of cover in the event of an employer’s financial default. It includes personal accident protection and covers medical expenses as well as subsistence and repatriation costs. It will also respond, unlike any other product currently on the market, in respect of the non-payment of seafarers’ wages, for a period of up to six months.

CrewSEACURE is underwritten by first-class A-rated global insurers in the Lloyd’s and Company markets in London. It offers an independent round-the-clock claims service managed by Thomas Miller Claims, the world’s leading maritime ‘people claims’ service provider. It also includes a claims mandate which protects the interests of shipowner and seafarer alike to ensure a fair claims process.  A 24-hour helpline is available for seafarers and their advisers, who are afforded direct access to the insurers’ claims adjusters. In order to deliver the CrewSEACURE product to market, Seacurus will act as managing general underwriters with access to Lloyd's security led by Brit Syndicates Ltd and companies' market security provided by Aspen Insurance UK Ltd.

CrewSEACURE provides cover which meets flag state and port state control approval, and is authenticated by a ship-specific MLC2006 insurance certificate to demonstrate compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention.  Comprehensive cover is provided at low cost, with premiums of as little as 50 cents per-seafarer per-day available.

Thomas Brown, managing director of UK-based Seacurus, says, “CrewSEACURE has been designed to cover the requirements of MLC. The shipping industry faces economic challenges. Not all shipowners and operators will survive the current global recession, and this will inevitably have a knock-on effect on those seafarers who are caught up in the resulting bankruptcy cases. Just recently, for example, we saw arrest orders issued by a court in the Far East in respect of two tankers after crew complained they had not been paid for almost three months.

“The fact is that any cover that does not provide for the indemnification of unpaid wages fails to adequately protect seafarers against the real risk of abandonment. History shows that the only way for seafarers to recover unpaid wages in the absence of any form of financial security is to remain on board until the ship is sold. This serves only to make matters worse for the shipowner as well as for seafarers and their families, who suffer further financial loss and hardship as a result of the long delays that can accompany the judicial sale of a vessel. CrewSEACURE removes the need for seafarers to remain on board an abandoned vessel by ensuring that they receive their unpaid wages before being repatriated home to seek new employment opportunities.

Giles Heimann, secretary-general of IMEC (International Maritime Employers Council Ltd), says, “IMEC and its members believe that the Maritime Labour Convention is the most significant piece of maritime legislation for many years. We are committed to supporting our members in the run-up to its introduction in August 2013, and to working with them to secure effective and fit-for-purpose provision for seafarers and employers alike. I am pleased to see that companies such as Seacurus are providing options for the industry, to support their obligations under MLC.”

Thomas Brown concludes, “MLC is a watershed moment for shipping. It has been called the seafarer’s ‘bill of rights’, and with good reason. Previously, there had been a lack of political will or force of law to encourage the insurance industry to provide a workable system of financial security. But that will change with the imminent implementation of MLC. Seacurus believes that effective employment protection must include crew wages. For that reason, it has provided an effective system of financial security to put an end to the spectre of seafarers becoming the cashflow casualties of their employers’ insolvencies.”

For a photo of Thomas Brown, email: chris@merlinco.com

Seacurus Ltd is an FSA-regulated insurance broker, founded in 2004, specialising in bespoke revenue protection cover for the maritime industry. It is a market leader in the design and implementation of solutions to protect companies from unforecasted balance sheet impacts, including credit default, charter party cancellations, hijackings and voyage disruptions caused by political events. Seacurus established the first delegated underwriting binding authority for marine kidnap insurance and is an approved Lloyd’s Coverholder. www.seacurus.com

Liberian Registry grants honorary master’s licence to Mission to Seafarers director

THE Liberian Registry has awarded an honorary Master’s Licence to the Revd Canon Ken Peters, Director of Justice & Welfare for the Mission to Seafarers, in recognition of the generous and continued support he has provided in connection with Liberia’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) Inspector Training Courses.

Presenting the award during the Mission to Seafarers Reception held at Lambeth Palace in London on September 27, Michalis Pantazopoulos, Senior Vice-President of the Liberian Registry, paid tribute to the contribution made by Revd Peters, who has been a long-time friend of the Liberian Registry. He noted that, most recently, the contribution made by Revd Peters has been instrumental in the global training of Liberia’s inspectors as the registry prepares them for the task of helping Liberian-flag shipowners implement MLC 2006.

Mr Pantazopoulos said, “Rev Peters has generously provided his inspirational lecture for a number of Liberian MLC Inspector Courses, discussing with more than eighty Liberian inspectors the core underlying principle of the MLC convention - protection of the interests and welfare of seafarers. His message has provided Liberia’s inspectors with value-added knowledge and essential skills which they can use when conducting MLC inspections.

“Revd Peters’ lectures have been so well-received by Liberia’s worldwide network of inspectors that the registry is honoured and grateful to have him as an essential part of its continued MLC Inspector Training Programme, as it plans to train an additional 200 inspectors during a series of upcoming MLC courses.”

Scott Bergeron, Chief Executive Officer of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), which sponsored the event at Lambeth Palace, says, “We are very grateful to Revd Peters – I suppose we should now call him Captain Reverend Peters - for all his hard work and inspirational input to the registry efforts to promote and implement MLC 2006. The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to those in need, working in more than 230 ports throughout the world, tending to the practical and spiritual welfare of seafarers of all nationalities and faiths. It is a privilege to work with Rev Peters, and to honour him in this way for the great contribution he has made – and continues to make – to seafarers’ welfare.”

The Liberian Registry is one of the world’s largest and most active shipping registers, with a long-established track record of combining the highest standards for vessels and crews with the highest standards of responsive service to owners. It has recently surpassed all-time tonnage records.

www.liscr.com