Developing solutions for your needs.

Ourmonitoring of trends in shipping, paired with our experience and close relationship with our customers, give us a deep understanding of existing risks and help us identify new risks and understand their consequences.

By building on our existing extensive framework, Gard delivers timely, seamless risk solutions in response to emerging risks. Partnering with clients and brokers we continuously adapt and expand our range of risk
solutions.

With sustainable business development in focus, we assess the impact of our insurance solutions sustainability and the risks related to it. The product team is here to guide and support you and to deliver the best solution for your needs.

Please read more about our customer solutions or reach out to your underwriter.

Together we will manage your risks and its consequences.

To help our Members and clients in the marine industries to manage risk and its consequences.

Shipowners and operators face claims from a wide variety of parties in their day to day operations; some are run of the mill whereas others are dramatic incidents that will never be forgotten.

The Gard claims organisation is able to efficiently mitigate risks and exposure and handle disputes whilst protecting the clients’ reputation and prevent their operations suffering disruption regardless of the claim’s severity.

“Been there – done that”

Gard is a long term partner who understands the business of our Members and clients. Our claims handlers come from a wide variety of backgrounds; from lawyers to rig masters and economists and everything
in between. Our claims handlers have built up a deep expertise within their field and considerable knowledge of our clients’ business.

We use the knowledge we have gained through the years to provide tailor made services adapted to the business of each Member and client.

Our resources

Our claims handling service with dedicated process owners and specialist teams for each claims area are capable of handling the increasingly complex claims arising out of global shipping. Each Member and client is
allocated a named Gard claims handler or claims team for each claim type.

As soon as the allocated claims handler or the on-duty person is notified of a claim, he/she immediately assesses what needs to be done. Additional resources are requested where needed and a strategy for the further handling of the claim is made. There is a close co-operation between Gard, the assured and other parties involved throughout the handling of the claim.

We have a strong focus on knowledge sharing and our expertise is strengthened further by sharing knowledge and expertise across a wide range of insurance covers and products. Our P&I claims handlers work together with their colleagues in the Hull & Machinery team to ensure the best possible outcome in complex casualties.

In addition to our in house resources, we have an extensive network of third party providers worldwide able to provide local support and knowledge where needed.

Joined-up casualty response – Gard as Lead Hull and P&I insurer

We have a significant claims lead portfolio for Hull & Machinery and related insurances in addition to the fact that we are a major P&I club. In our experience, there are considerable advantages to having the most important interests handled by the one insurer. An experienced claims leader creates value for the assured by being as effective in handling the practical administration of the claim as a crisis. He will inspire trust in brokers and co-insurers and finds practical commercial settlements that all parties can support.

Gard’s claims handlers understand both the Hull and P&I perspectives and have access to the global P&I and H&M expertise and knowledge networks. The insured benefits from this through cost savings, enhanced information sharing and quick decisions on important issues, all leading to a swift solution. For the insured with both P&I and Hull & Machinery with Gard, any cover issues between the P&I and Hull & Machinery covers are resolved internally.

Result-oriented and proactive

We focus on being pragmatic, un-bureaucratic and “hands-on” in our approach to claims handling.
Our experience enables us to stay focused on finding the best solution for our client; we draw on in-house specialists whenever necessary, irrespective of business area or geographic location.

We have over 200 professional claims staff across 13 offices worldwide, offering their knowledge and expertise in support of our Members and clients where and when they need it; whether it is provision of Club LOUs, on-site attendance, timely and accurate advice; or simply prompt settlement of the claim.

We support our clients in all aspects of risk management, not least in the handling of accidents and crises.

The aim of our actions in an emergency situation is to prevent and reduce loss, injury, pollution and other consequences of the incident. We have gained extensive experience with crisis management, both from actual casualties and through training exercises. In addition to the crisis management experience gained from past casualties, the language skills of our claims handlers combined with their maritime, naval, environmental and legal expertise will all be brought to the handling of the incident.

24 hour crisis response service

Experienced employees man our 24/7 duty phone. Our offices located in several time zones and geographical regions are ready to assist at a moment’s notice. Our claims handlers may attend on-site and will offer to send staff to the clients’ offices if beneficial to the client.

We have a network of carefully selected independent partners, such as local correspondents, surveyors or lawyers able to provide local knowledge and assistance where needed. Gard has a long tradition of and experience in cooperating with government and industry bodies as well as national support centres.

Mobilisation

A crisis is typically an incident where lives are at risk, or that may lead to significant environmental damage, or loss of or severe damage to the ship and/or cargo. Gard will apply the principle of “prudent overreaction” in a crisis. This simply means that the amount of resources that will be dedicated to the incident is in line with a potential worst case scenario to ensure that the incident is handled timely, proactively and professionally.
Should the incident be sufficiently serious, we will mobilise in line with our Crisis Management Plan. This involves a trained and carefully selected group working from Gard’s contingency room to respond to the crisis. The crisis
response is normally led from Gard’s head office in Arendal.

Recommended priorities

RESPOND

Handle the crisis by following the “PEA” approach – prioritise People, Environment, Assets, in that order. In the majority of cases, first verify the safety of the crew. 

REPORT

Inform the liability and property insurers and the appropriate authorities if not already done. Report the facts only and do not speculate as to the possible cause(s) of the incident. 

PRESERVE

Preserve all information and documents relevant to the incident. The list will be long, but information and documents on board the vessel will be important in the further handling of the case. In particular, the VDR data must be preserved. Control access to the crew and the vessel; only visitors with permission or authority to board the vessel should be allowed on board. The pressure can be strong from media and others during the initial phase to provide comments and access. If in doubt, seek advice.

Additional information on Crisis Management can be found in our publication Gard Guidance to Maritime Claims and Insurance.

Turning a painful loss experienced by the few into lessons learned for the many

Our role is not just to provide risk capital for our Members’ and clients’ insurance needs but also to support them in all aspects of risk management, not least in the prevention and handling of accidents and crises. We provide Members and clients with added value through our loss prevention, loss control and loss
mitigation activities. Our aim is to prevent casualties occurring in the first place, with the inevitable business disruption that may follow, and to assist in getting our Members’ and clients operations
back on track as quickly as possible after a casualty has occurred.

In Gard we strive to adapt what we offer to meet our Members' and clients’ changing needs in a dynamic maritime environment. We continuously develop the various aspects of our service to provide up to
date knowledge and expertise on important insurance issues, claims and industry trends and loss prevention measures. The services provided by Gard span the entire spectrum from claims services and distribution of loss prevention updates and Insight articles, to workshops, crisis management exercises and claims seminars.
Our claims service and loss prevention activities highlight and exemplify the importance of a trusted and close cooperation between Gard and our Members and clients.

Our objectives

The main objective of loss prevention in Gard is to provide advice and assistance to Members and clients delivering information on the measures that need to be taken to reduce risks. We aim to fulfil this objective by:

producing Gard updates - we develop and electronically distribute loss prevention material and technical advices to all clients and business partners;
conducting client training - we contribute to client seminars, crew conferences, crisis management training and other workshops;
providing loss prevention tailor made service and assistance to individual clients when requested;
conducting condition surveys of vessels covered by Gard.

Our expertise

We have a built up a comprehensive network within Gard capable of delivering our loss prevention products, with more than 200 claims people with deep expertise as well as our world-wide network of
correspondents and other external service providers. Our extensive claims databases with “lessons learned” data from previous casualties is a valuable resource of knowledge and expertise.

Our core purpose also reminds us that we can make a contribution not just to each Member and client but to the industries we serve through our focus on loss prevention and participation in various global industry initiatives together with other maritime organisations.

All of the above are guided by a proactive attitude, a strong internal collaboration across business areas and the
right set of values.

For further information please contact lp@gard.no.