IUMI Podcast

In this podcast we explore the inner workings of IUMI and, in particular, a recent initiative to encourage younger members to join our technical committees. Not long ago it was decided to recruit junior members to committee meetings to watch and to listen but, more importantly, to make valuable contributions to the work of their chosen committee or forum.  We hear from two newish junior members about their experiences with IUMI so far. Joining the discussion are Jackie Lan who is a Senior Marine Hull and Liability Underwriter at QBE in Singapore and also Sean Whitney who is Assistant Vice-President, Ocean Marine at SOMPO in New York. Jackie is a member of the Ocean Hull Committee and Sean sits on the Inland Hull, Fishing Vessel and Yachts Committee. Listen to what they have to say. 

Tariffs – actual or threatened – are changing the way we live, work and do business. Nations are imposing restrictions on other nations only to suffer themselves as retaliatory tariffs are demanded. Global markets have suffered and international trade is exposed. The current situation remains unclear and in a state of flux but some say the world has changed forever.   To try to make sense of the impact of protectionism on marine insurance, we've invited three top experts from Europe, Asia and North America to join this podcast. Frédéric Denèfle, Tom Shinya and Sean Dalton discuss the likely impact of the economic actions of our political leaders and predict how this might play out in the world of marine insurance.  

The Chinese marine insurance market is an important one. It continues to grow off the back of the world's largest commercial fleet and a range of domestic initiatives. In this podcast we speak with Ge Qi, Head of Reinsurance at Cosco Shipping Captive Insurance Company, a Director of the Shanghai Institute of Marine Insurance and a member of IUMI's Ocean Hull Committee. Ge Qi gives a unique insight into the current status of the Chinese market and explains how he believes the market will grow and develop over the coming years.

Shipping is moving towards Net Zero to comply with IMO's climate ambitions and this requires a joined-up effort from all involved in the maritime industry, including marine insurers. In this podcast, Dr Sinem Ogis from Türk P&I Insurance (and a member of our Legal & Liability Committee) reviews progress towards Net Zero and highlights the role for marine underwriters. James Whitlam from Concirrus (an IUMI Professional Partner) joins the discussion to explain how insurtech can help insurers.  

In this podcast we discuss the influential Top Tier Joint Industry Project which is being run by MARIN (Maritime Research Institute Netherlands) and focuses on container safety. We speak with Project Direct Jos Koning who shares the project's objectives and gives us an early insight into the findings and conclusions. Around 40 organisations are participating in the project and IUMI is represented through its German member, GDV.

We have recently issued a comprehensive paper offering guidelines for the use of flexible tanks for liquid bulk cargo. In this podcast we are joined by two authors of that paper: Captain Andrew Kinsey, Director of Marine Consulting at Integrated Speciality Coverages; and Nicolas Gabriel, Divisional Director & Consultant at Battermann & Tillery Global Marine. Together, they give an overview of the issues and challenges surrounding the increasing use of flexitanks and discuss IUMI's best practice recommendations.

Listen to our latest podcast if you want to discover how marine insurance has been faring in 2023 and into 2024. We feature Jun Lin and Astrid Seltmann from the IUMI Facts & Figures Committee who talk about the current state of marine insurance within the wider context of the macro-economy. Both guests presented their findings at our 150th anniversary conference in Berlin and this podcast gives an overview of their presentations in advance of IUMI publishing its annual Stats Report later this month.

Lloyd's Open Form is the most commonly used contract for international marine salvage. This important contract has recently been revised and re-published by Lloyd's. In this podcast we are joined by Alistair Johnston from law firm CJC and Nick Coleman from Gard (Nick is also Chair of the IUMI Salvage Forum) to take a fresh look at the LOF and what the revision means for marine insurers and others.

Following the attacks on shipping in the Red Sea area, Jakob Larsen, Head of Maritime Safety and Security at BIMCO shares his thoughts on the current situation and provides insights relevant to marine underwriters.

In this podcast we are joined by John Woods, a Partner with Clyde & Co in New York and Alex Mican, Head of Global Strategy and Growth at PCS Verisk – both are IUMI Professional Partners. We discuss the context of the Baltimore Bridge incident and delve into the possible impact and knock-on effects for marine insurance.

Mariella Dauphinee,  Marine Claims Leader at Coast Underwriters (an Intact Insurance Company) and IUMI Executive Committee member outlines the current restrictions in the Panama Canal and how that is impacting shipping. She discusses this in the wider context of other geopolitical events to highlight the potential effect on global trade.

In this podcast we are joined by Michele Cibrario from SwissRe and Vice Chair of our Offshore Energy Committee. Michele discusses the general shift in the energy markets from fossil fuel to renewables with a focus on the offshore industries. He then drills down into the implications and opportunities for marine underwriters giving ample advice and food for thought.

In IUMI's 150th year, we invite Secretary General, Lars Lange to reflect on how the association has evolved over the past century and a half to remain the bedrock of global marine insurance. Lars discusses the modern association and also gives us an insight into what the future might hold for IUMI.

In most countries, there are strict laws against discrimination but it is fair to say that embracing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) in its fullest sense is still largely voluntary. A raft of studies have shown how adopting the many facets of DEIB can dramatically impact job performance, job turnover and work absences and, as importantly, the positive effect it has on a company's strategy and decision making process as well as on individuals themselves. In this podcast we explore DEIB within the marine insurance community and to do that we are joined by three senior IUMI representatives who are Anneke Kooiman, Patrizia Kern-Ferretti and Sean Dalton.

Our Cargo Masterclass is becoming an essential training tool for marine insurance professionals and is now a central element to our education activities. In this podcast, we are joined by the Chair of our Education Forum, Christopher Hesselbrandt and also by Annemieke Boon from DUPI Underwriting who participated, as a student, in our recent Cargo Masterclass. Together, we discuss IUMI's education ambitions and we hear, first hand, what it is like to participate as a student. We also give details of our next Cargo Masterclass which is planned for April 2024 in London.

Our latest podcast features Jun Lin and Astrid Seltmann from the Facts & Figures Committee who discuss the state of marine insurance within the wider context of the macro-economy and the shipping and offshore energy sectors. They draw on the presentations they gave at the conference in Edinburgh to provide insight and analysis to this year's marine insurance statistics compiled by the IUMI Facts & Figures Committee.

In this podcast we are joined by Neil Roberts, Head of Marine and Aviation at Lloyd's Market Association and Dave Matcham, Chief Executive of the International Underwriting Association who are joint hosts for this year's IUMI Conference; and also by Lars Lange, IUMI Secretary General. We are treated to a preview of what to expect this year both in terms of the conference agenda and also the social programme. This podcast is a “must listen” for all those planning on going to Edinburgh later in the month.

In this podcast we are joined by Martti Simojoki from Alandia in Helsinki, who is also a member of IUMI's Loss Prevention Committee; and Hendrike Kühl, IUMI's Policy Director. Together, we debate the often mooted suggestion that a number of onboard fires have resulted from an electric vehicle and go on to discuss the difference between fires in electric vehicles and those started by standard internal combustion engine vehicles. We then turn to IUMI's recently issued best practice and recommendations paper for the safe transport of EVs by sea. Finally, we take a look at how we think this issue will progress.  

In this podcast we chat with Dr Harry Conway, the Permanent Representative of Liberia's Permanent Mission to the IMO and the Chair of IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee. At the last meeting of MEPC held in early July, the Committee agreed, unanimously, to adopt the new 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships. This potentially ground-breaking strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping close to 2050. It establishes two checkpoints on the path to 2050 including a 20% reduction by 2030 and a 70% reduction by 2040, both from a 2008 baseline.   In the podcast, Dr Conway explains the implications and practicalities of this brave new ambition and also outlines the work of the MEPC and what the committee will focus on going forward.  

The pandemic, Russia-Ukraine, cost of living, and China-Taiwan demonstrate the circularity of global threats and highlight the need for (re)insurers and their clients to have a better understanding of these crises' impacts, especially considering the financial outcomes from such global events. Suki Basi, Managing Director at Russell Group and an IUMI Professional Partner, says financial outcomes relating to insurable and insured outcomes require better modelling, risk assessment and holistic analysis.    Tune into our latest podcast and learn how horizon scanning, or environmental scanning, is a foresight method for discovering early signs of potential change. Suki uses an example of trade disruption in ports and how trade data can enable the analysis of the financial impact. Click here to listen:

In our latest podcast, Isabelle Therrien, IUMI Cargo Committee Chair and Senior Vice President Canada, Marine Cargo at  Falvey Insurance Group, discusses misdeclared goods and the related challenges facing shipping and the marine insurance industry. Isabelle emphasised the importance of increasing awareness and collaborating with all relevant stakeholders to ensure dangerous cargo is adequately declared and handled throughout the supply chain. An common example for DGs are lithium-ion batteries which will also be on the agenda of this year's Cargo Workshop at the IUMI annual conference in Edinburgh.

On this special episode of the IUMI podcast, chair of IUMI's Data & Digitalisation Forum, Patrizia Kern, interviews Osher Perry, founder and CEO of ShipIn Systems. ShipIn offers onboard CCTV solutions for vessels that allows shoreside personnel to get the visibility needed during critical operations. It is also an IUMI Professional Partner. Together, Patrizia and Osher discuss the digitisation of marine insurance, working with clients in an age of rapid digital expansion, accessing relevant data, implementing digitised business conduct, and much more.

Our popular quarterly newsletter IUMI Eye is now available as a podcast and features interviews with some authors. Highlights of this edition include Frédéric Denèfle, IUMI President & Managing Director at Garex, who discusses the challenges around reinsurance cover and the correlation with the Ukraine War. IUMI Secretary General Lars Lange reports on the latest IMO's Marine Environment Protection and Maritime Safety Committee sessions; Sean Dalton, Vice-Chair of the IUMI Executive Committee & Executive Vice President, Head of Marine Underwriting, North America for Munich Reinsurance America, discusses the challenges marine insurers are facing in a time of increased inflation. Guillermo Zamora, CEO of Marlin Blue and an IUMI Professional Partner, offers guidance for adequately implementing and applying IMO liability and compensation conventions.

The Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance (PPMI) are a global framework for assessing climate alignments of insurers' hull and machinery portfolios. The PPMI use the ambitions of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) greenhouse gas emissions strategy and the Paris Agreement as benchmarks. The first annual disclosure report of the PPMI signatory companies has just been published.    In this episode of the IUMI podcast we spoke with Pauline des Vallières, Sustainable Insurance Manager at SCOR where she has been part of the Marine division during the last five years. Pauline explains what the PPMI are, how they work, and why marine insurance companies have signed up to publicly disclose the carbon footprint of their H&M portfolios.

In the first podcast of 2023, we speak to Frédéric Denèfle, the new IUMI President, for a roundup of his first 100 days in the job.  Since taking up the role following the IUMI conference in Chicago last year, Frédéric Denèfle has had a busy timetable. In this episode, he reflects on the immediate challenges and surprises, changes to IUMI's leadership structure, the popularity of the new IUMI Masterclass, the Black Sea Grain Initiative and more. 

Since the outbreak of the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in February this year, the subject of international sanctions has been at the forefront of industry concerns. On December 3, 2022, G7 members formally set a price cap on Russian oil at 60 USD per barrel. This applies to oil products originating in or exported from Russia. In this podcast, we sat down with Christopher Jones, Director of Legal and Market Services of the International Underwriting Association and Neil Roberts, Head of Marine & Aviation at Lloyds List. Together, these two industry experts outlined what the impact of the price cap will be, the challenges facing the maritime sector and how insurers are coping with the new complexities.

Our popular quarterly newsletter IUMI Eye is now available as a podcast and features interviews with some of the authors. Highlights of this edition include ShipIn's Amit Shalev who discusses loss prevention using AI, IUMI Secretary General Lars Lange on the latest IMO Maritime Safety Committee session; HFW on the implications for insurers of the NordStream pipeline attack; Julian Kirkman-Page of Russell Group on how a holistic view of trade can help marine insurers understand current and future exposure, as well as more details on IUMI's Masterclass in Cargo Insurance programme.  

Twice a year, industry reports are presented by the IUMI Facts & Figures Committee, outlining the most up-to-date key shipping and marine insurance data and statistics, as well as providing an overview of marine, offshore and related industries. In this podcast, we sit down with leading members of IUMI's Facts and Figures Committee: Jun Lin, Vice-President of Gard, and Astrid Seltmann from Cefor, the Nordic Association of Marine Insurers to discuss how the marine insurance industry faired in 2021, the challenges it faces heading into 2023, and some of the key takeaways from this year's Facts and Figures report. 

Containership fires are one of the most significant hazards affecting the shipping industry. IUMI has long advocated for better fire detection and extinguishing systems. In this podcast we sit down with Uwe-Peter Schieder, Vice Chair of IUMI's Loss Prevention Committee; Anders Kristensen, Project Manager for the CARGOSAFE Study at the DBI and Lorena Cifuentes, Research Consultant at DBI to discuss the CARGOSAFE study and developments in fire safety technology.

In this month's podcast we meet Richard Turner, outgoing IUMI President and discuss data, ESG and the future of marine insurance. After four years as IUMI President, Richard Turner will be stepping down at the IUMI Chicago 2022 Conference. In this podcast Richard reflects on his time in office and offers some advice to his successor. 

This month we sat down with Lars Lange, Secretary General of IUMI, and John Miklus, AIMU President and member of the IUMI Chicago 2022 Conference Organizing Committee to discuss the much anticipated IUMI conference, which is taking place in Chicago in September. To find out more about this year's conference and how to register,  just visit iumi2022.com

In 2020, IUMI and the World Maritime University (WMU) signed an MOU agreeing to work together on areas of mutual interest. The MOU includes a bursary, covering 75% of the full tuition fee, for two marine insurance professionals to complete the WMU's Marine Insurance Law & Practice Postgraduate Diploma programme.  In this month's IUMI podcast we talk to Dr Henning Jessen, professor and programme coordinator to find out more about the Postgraduate Diploma programme and to Michelangelo Todoro - the first student to be awarded IUMI's bursary.

This month we sit down with Lars Lange, IUMI Secretary General, to discuss the International Quality Assessment Review Body (IQARB). IQARB is an advisory body that has been established to review the certification process of the quality management systems of IACS Classification Societies. As chair of the body, Lars discusses the background of IQARB, the role of IMO and flag states in the body, its benefits to IUMI, and what the future of the programme holds.

In this month's podcast we speak with Dave Matcham, Chief Executive of the International Underwriting Association and Secretary of the IUMI Facts & Figures Committee, about IUMI's Major Claims Database. In 2018 IUMI launched a pilot project to see if it could create a large and consistent loss database for hull and cargo with standardised data from member companies in order to analyse major losses with respect to loss severity, frequency, location and cause. Now, almost four years on, Dave discusses how the project has progressed, the data that is now being published and what is coming up in the near future. 

The current crisis in Ukraine has directly impacted shipping in the area as well as the safety and welfare of many seafarers. In this podcast Lars Lange, IUMI Secretary General, discusses the impact of the crisis and international sanctions on global shipping and marine insurance, the current situation for war risk insurers, what challenges underwriters of Russian related risks are experiencing, what IUMI is doing to help its members during this crisis, plus much more. 

In IUMI's latest podcast we speak with Svenn Andersen, Senior Surveyor at the Norwegian Hull Club, about the difficulties and challenges with engine room fires. Engine room fires are one of the most common fires onboard ships and dealing with them and preventing them are key to safety at sea. Svenn highlights the causes of these fires, preventative measures that can be taken and industry guidelines to follow to mitigate the risk during this highly informative podcast.  

In our first podcast of 2022 we are joined by Neil Roberts, Head of Marine Underwriting at the LMA and member of IUMI's Policy Forum, to talk about piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Neil draws on his years of experience to discuss the current challenges with piracy in the area, the measures to help alleviate the problem and a look to the future.

As the year draws to a close, IUMI President Richard Turner speaks about the 2021 year for IUMI in the last podcast of the year. Richard discusses the ongoing pandemic, the highlights of the 2021 year, the challenges marine insurers are currently facing and what IUMI will be focusing on in 2022.

In this special podcast we are delighted to speak with two successful candidates from IUMI's online cargo and hull tutorials. We are joined by Kyveli Manta, an Underwriting Administrator at the American Hellenic Hull Insurance Company, and Roshan Kumar, Assistant Manager at The New India Assurance Co Ltd., who completed the hull and cargo tutorials respectively. Both candidates did exceptionally well and passed the final exam with distinction. During this podcast Kyveli and Roshan offer insight into the benefits of the tutorials, the reasons for choosing these courses and how to apply them in their daily work. They also share their views on the challenges they see ahead for the marine insurance industry.

In our latest podcast we are joined by IUMI Facts & Figures Committee Chairperson Philip Graham, and Vice-Chairperson Astrid Seltmann, to take a deep dive into the IUMI statistics that were presented at the IUMI annual conference earlier this month. Philip and Astrid discuss the market, the results, trends in the cargo, hull, and offshore energy markets, sustainability issues and much more.

In our latest IUMI podcast we speak with IUMI Secretary General Lars Lange about the upcoming IUMI annual conference, scheduled to take place on 2-15 September 2021. Lars highlights some of the upcoming presentations that will look at topics such as containership fires, sustainability, digitalisation, COVID-19, to name a few. Lars also discusses the positives and negatives of hosting an online event for the second year due to the ongoing travel restrictions.

In the latest instalment of the IUMI podcast, John Miklus, IUMI Education Forum Chairperson and President of the American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU), talks to us about what the Education Forum is all about and its current activities. John also discusses the importance of the Forum for the next generation of marine insurers and what is coming up next in IUMI's education programme.

In our latest podcast Peregrine Storrs-Fox, a Founding Partner of the Cargo Integrity Group (CIG) and Risk Management Director of the TT Club, takes the hot seat to talk to us about cargo integrity and the CIG. Peregrine discusses the work of the group and how the organisation works with other stakeholders, as well as looking at the CTU Code (Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units) and its biggest challenges.

In our latest podcast join Helle Hammer, IUMI's Policy Forum Chairperson and Managing Director of The Nordic Association of Marine Insurers (Cefor) as she discusses the role of the Policy Forum, the biggest issues currently under review and what new risks are emerging.

In this month's podcast IUMI Secretary General Lars Lange comes to the recording studio to talk about the increasingly concerning issue of container losses at sea. Lars discusses the issues and root causes behind containers being lost at sea, as well as examining the impact of these losses on marine insurance.

Don't miss our new podcast on the highly topical and relevant ongoing crew change crisis. This month we were joined by three guest speakers from P&I and H&M insurer Gard - Alice Jackson Amundsen, Vice President, Head of People Claims; Kunal Pathak, Loss Prevention Manager Asia; and Malene Wang, a lawyer in Gard's Asian charterers and traders defence team. All three speakers debated the current situation and identified the challenges and the long-term effects of the crisis on seafarers and shipping more generally. They went on to discuss how the industry was responding and touched on a range of other related issues.    

In IUMI's latest podcast IUMI President Richard Turner, IUMI Executive Committee Vice-Chairperson Anneke Kooiman and IUMI Policy Director Hendrike Kühl come together to talk about the growing importance of environmental, social and governance factors for marine insurance. The team discusses the positive contribution ESG factors offer companies and highlight specific areas of interest and IUMI's role.

In our latest podcast we talk with IUMI's Data & Digitalization Forum Chairperson Patrizia Kern, IPP Concirrus Technical Consultant Matthew Madahar and fellow IPP Windward's Commercial Director Ross Davis. Patrizia, Matthew and Ross discuss the acceleration of digitalization, how emerging digital technologies are creating new opportunities and how these should be embraced. We hope you enjoy it.

In the next edition of the IUMI podcast series Facts & Figures Committee Chairperson Philip Graham and Vice-Chairperson Astrid Seltmann take the microphone to discuss the main trends from the 2019 IUMI statistics review. Philip and Astrid also chat about the impact the pandemic is currently having on marine insurance and how they see the market developing over the coming year. 

In the second of the IUMI podcast series, listen to IUMI Secretary General Lars Lange discuss the upcoming IUMI annual conference. Due to the current coronavirus environment, IUMI is  - for the first time - taking its highly anticipated event online and Lars chats about how IUMI came to this decision and what you can expect from the new format.