The UK P&I Club has applauded the European Harbour Masters' Committee (EHMC) for its release of a new DVD entitled "The Missing Link - Improving the mooring process".

The UK Club has for a long time been very concerned about the number and severity of accidents which occur when ships are under tow or are engaged in mooring alongside. Even fatalities to crew and to shoreside mooring gangs are not rare occurrences while far too many incidents result in injuries that will end a seafarer's or stevedore's career. Despite much publicity regarding the risks, the 'do's and do not's' when working as part of a mooring party, the Club says the claims still keep coming in, often accompanied by horrific photographs.

Over recent years, the Club has analysed the claims it has received in respect of mooring incidents and these pie graphs show some of the results:

Note to editors: these pie charts can be downloaded from http://www.dunelmpr.co.uk/UKP&I-Photogallery-NEW.htm.

This new DVD has been produced by the EHMC in partnership with, amongst others, the Nautical Institute and the UK Club, which the EHMC says "delivered valuable input and know how". The Nautical Institute will launch the Missing Link in its November issue of Seaways and will dedicate this issue to safe mooring while the UK P&I Club will distribute it directly to vessels as part of its ongoing training programme.

Available on the UK Club's own website www.ukpandi.com is a recent publication on the same subject. This is entitled "Risk Focus: Moorings".

The United Kingdom Mutual Steam Ship Assurance Association (Bermuda) Limited is generally known as the UK P&I Club. As a mutual association, the UK Club has no outside shareholders and no financial links with other organisations. Since its establishment in 1869, the Club has existed solely for the benefit of its members. Its structure as a mutual insurance association enables it to respond to the changing needs of its assureds and allows it to provide superior service, attention and coverage.

The UK P&I Club is directed by the members. Overall control lies with the directors, elected by the members from amongst themselves. The directors normally meet four times a year to formulate policy on calls, the scope of cover, finance, underwriting and claims matters, reinsurance and issues affecting the P&I world. They resolve specific claims which may not fall clearly within the cover.

Thomas Miller, the Club's managers, are organised to respond promptly to requests for assistance and to provide informed advice and help with members' claims. Individual support goes far beyond that normally provided by a commercial insurer.

The UK Club's size and the scale of the managers' operations has enabled the latter to develop specialist skills and expertise seldom seen in marine P&I.;

In 350 ports around the world, on-the-spot help and local expertise is always available to members and the masters of their ships from the Club's 460 correspondents and claims handling services and advice from the network of offices and branches in London, Piraeus, New Jersey, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai.

The Thomas Miller Group manages a number of world-leading mutual insurance organisations or "clubs," providing insurance for shipping, transport and professional indemnity risks; and captive insurance companies in the Isle of Man and Bermuda. Thomas Miller provides risk management consultancy services and, through its regulated specialist subsidiaries, delivers a full investment management service to mutual clubs, captives and other clients. The firm incorporated in 1999 and is owned and controlled by its 550 employees worldwide.

A copy of the EHMC press release can be downloaded from http://www.dunelmpr.co.uk 

pdf of Risk Focus: Moorings can be downloaded from http://www.dunelmpr.co.uk/UKP&I-Photogallery-NEW.htm and the UK Club's own website www.ukpandi.com

For further information contact:

David Cheslin

Dunelm Public Relations

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7345 5233

E-mail: davidcheslin@dunelmpr.co.uk

Website: www.dunelmpr.co.uk

For further information:

Nick Whitear

Thomas Miller P&I Ltd

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7283 4646

Email:

Issued by:

David Cheslin

Dunelm Public Relations

Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7345 5232

Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7345 5234

Email: