Break Bulk
Consulting services, irrespective of risk complexity or size.
Break Bulk specialist
Breakbulk and general cargo vessel losses are the highest of all categories of ships. We are specialists in the sector and we know how to reduce risk.
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Facultative Re-Insurance
Our team works with clients to analyse, manage and transfer risk through both single-policy and portfolio reinsurance solutions, and is focused on providing positive placement outcomes for ceding company clients, irrespective of risk complexity or size.
Our dedicated Facultative team offers a holistic servicing promise throughout the life of every policy.
A commitment to crew training, maintenance and technology, standardizing where possible and following insurers’ best practice safety advice are among key recommendations to reducing breakbulk shipping sector risk in an environment of ever-rising insurance premiums.
The industry by its very nature of being predicated on non-standardized cargoes comes with higher, inherent risks than other modes. 311 breakbulk/general cargo vessel losses in the past decade – “the highest in all categories [of ships].”
The second category is fishing vessels with 117 ships lost in the same period, standards of safety on breakbulk ships do not match up to other specialized segments like tankers. Within this segment there are ships like the heavy-lift vessels which perform a lot better and appear to have better safety standards.
investment in crew training is the most effective measure to mitigate risks in the sector. Well-trained crew can be the best defense against incidents and accidents. Machinery damage/breakdown is the top cause out of the 3,000 incidents recorded in 2023, hence having a robust, planned maintenance program is key to avoiding these incidents.
Claims Services
irrespective of risk complexity or size.
Surveys
In case a shipment is damaged during transportation, due to, for example, a malfunctioning of the cool unit of a container, the consignment can be claimed by the carrier. A claim notification needs to be send out and a survey needs to be organized; several documents need to be collected and it is important to take all measures necessary to mitigate the losses as much as possible.
In such an event our survey services are your best starting point. After sending out the claim notification we will arrange a joint survey. During the survey we inspect the goods thoroughly to establish the damage. This survey is the basis of the survey report, which can be used in the recovery process of the damage..
Consultancy
The purpose of the consultation is knowledge transfer, guiding the process and reducing the risk of claims.
Another part of our work is advising producers and packing stations. We can offer help and provide assistance on the plantations in harvesting and packing the products. We advise employees on how and what to pack. We also train the quality controllers on site.
Our consultations go beyond just providing advice about products, packaging methods and cooling products during transport and in storage. Thanks to our extensive global network of producers, customers, suppliers and retailers, we can also give advice about the situation in various markets and specific circumstances in production environments. We also have extensive knowledge of the various regulations in the countries of delivery and we pass this knowledge on to the producers.
From the start of the process we provide advice on how to introduce the product to the market in as optimal a way as possible. This means that, initially, the product on the plantation is assessed and we provide an indication of what market the product is most suited for. In addition, during harvest, we provide guidance and advice to the production staff about proper packing and pre-cooling.
For example: Not every variety is equally suited for every type of packaging, oversized grapes in punnets can lead to damage for instance. An incorrect temperature setting may also lead to problems in relation to quality. We sometimes recommend a different packaging method in order to realize cost reductions without having a negative impact on product quality. On the plantations, a classification is made during the consultation that shows what products are suitable for what markets. The requirements for each market differ considerably. For example, the color of grapes for the Far East, in comparison with those for the European market.