North P&I Club Helps Greek Members to Meet Challenges of Today and Tomorrow

North P&I Club welcomed around 150 shipowner members to the Yacht Club of Greece in Mikrolimano, Piraeus, on Thursday 2 November for its annual seminar. Presentations from North’s Greek team raised awareness around a raft of key issues and recent developments affecting the shipping sector – from environmental concerns due to greenhouse gas emissions and ballast water management through to sanctions, cyber risks, and a shortage of the right crew.

Colin Gillespie and Ben Roberts at North provided a wide-ranging assessment of the current cyber security seascape, and why cyber resilience is key. In particular, it was noted that three in ten companies have no response plan to a digital attack, and that most malware gets into systems through the human factor, making education and training vital. Ben Roberts also pointed out that North is seeing an increase in the number of disputes arising from fraudulent payment instructions by email, and highlighted the comprehensive insights available at www.nepia.com/insights to help Members to be more resilient in the face of cyber-crime, including the ‘Be Cyber Aware at Sea’ campaign resources and the Hudson Analytix Cyber risk self-assessment tool.

Tony Allen, Director (Greece) at North P&I Club, said, “As ever, Greek shipping continues to lead the way, with more than 20% of the world fleet and 50% of the EU fleet still owned and operated by the Greek shipping community. In the decade since the global financial crisis, Greek shipping has demonstrated its ability to sail in high winds and weather the storm, and we will continue to do all that we can at North to play our part in that success. North recognises the importance of education and training to build a foundation for success, and our annual seminar is a key component of our commitment to service excellence and best practice in action for our Greek Members.”

North’s Greece office opened in 2000 and the Greek team deals with more than 3500 claims and enquiries every year. The Greek Team look after the needs of the Club’s steadily growing Greek membership, which now accounts for 23% of North’s owned P&I fleet and 31% of North’s owned FD&D fleet. North’s Greek Team has a staff of 25 front line claims handlers including 17 qualified lawyers, and four Master Mariners.

ENDS

For further information contact: Kim Heaselden on +44 191 232 5221, or Nick Arthur on +44 1865 514214

Notes to editors

1.    North P&I Club is a leading global marine insurer providing P&I, FD&D, war risks and ancillary insurance to 140 million GT of owned tonnage. Through its guaranteed subsidiary Sunderland Marine, North is also a leading insurer of fishing vessels, small craft and aquaculture risks. The Standard and Poor’s ‘A’ rated Club is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK with regional offices and subsidiaries in China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), Greece, Japan, Singapore and Sunderland Marine offices worldwide. North is a leading member of the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG), with over 12% of the IG’s owned tonnage. The 13 IG clubs provide liability cover for approximately 90% of the world’s ocean-going tonnage and, as a member of the IG, North protects and promotes the interests of the international shipping industry. For further information visit: www.nepia.com