Frequently asked questions

The Shipowners’ Club was formed in 1855 and is the leading insurer of smaller and specialist vessels worldwide. We are one of the 13 International Group Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Clubs, which together insure over 90% of the world’s tonnage. We provide cover on a mutual basis and everything we do is driven by the interests of our policyholders, the Club Members.

You buy insurance cover at cost. The Shipowners’ Club has no shareholders to satisfy. Most importantly, it means a fair and friendly claims handling service.

We offer Protection and Indemnity (P&I) insurance for all vessels with an inland registry (IVR) or similar and IVR vessels with a specific licence to sail coastal or estuarial waters for the purposes of reaching inland waters. This means we will insure Inland tankers, inland dry cargo vessels, inland barges, inland container vessels, inland tugs/push boats, inland small/specialised craft and inland passenger vessels. All vessels subject to a maximum gross tonnage of 3,000 (8,490 inland tonnes). Anything outside of this description will need special acceptance.

Yes, each year we will issue updated versions of the Shipowners’ Club Rules and the Shipowners’ Club Inland Craft Liability Insurance Policy. We confirm that any claim that would have been paid under the Shipowners' Club Rules for a particular year will be payable under the Shipowners’ Inland Craft Liability Insurance policy for that same year.

When your liabilities to your crew for illness or injury fall outside national health or mandatory state insurance schemes our cover will respond to those liabilities. This does not extend to annuities or pensions and must arise from liabilities relating to the operation of your vessel. In the event that a national health or state insurance scheme has a right of subrogation against you, we will respond to these liabilities.

Yes. We cover claims from crew who are travelling to or from your vessel at the beginning or end of a tour of duty or who may be ashore on ship’s business, provided that you as the owner or manager have a liability.

Our policy provides excess collision and fixed and floating object cover meaning it pays after the collision liability /FFO provided by your Hull and Machinery insurer has paid out in full. The H&M cover limit acts as a claims deductible.

No, it is applicable whilst towing/pushing your own vessels or third party vessels.

Yes, The law which governs the area you are operating will apply and we will respond to liabilities arising under it.

Yes.

No.

Only if the excursion forms part of the original passenger ticket and sold as a package, we reserve the right of recourse against any third party company involved in the ‘off vessel’ excursions and do not recommend waivers being signed with such companies.

Yes, as long as you comply with all statutory regulations for the safe and carriage of passengers.

If your vessel is operating as a permanently moored business there is no cover for liabilities arising from restaurant guests and other visitors or your catering crew. If you wish to be insured for these exposures you need to contact us to discuss your requirements.

Yes.

We would regard the following contracts as customary

(a) Tank-barge terms and conditions of transport 2010
(b) Verlade- und Transport-bedingungen
(c) European Push Conditions 2015

The point of this exclusion is that we are not liable for claims where the authorities might claim an accumulation of damage over time, either from pollution or wash damage, as opposed to soothing which is fortuitous and happens at a known place and time. Some insurers refer to this as a ‘sudden and accidental’ event. We are not excluding wash damage in general, nor environmental damage from oil spills or similar.

No, these claims are excluded as part of the ‘What is Not Covered’ section regarding Chemical, biological, bio-chemical or electromagnetic weapons.
The use or operation, as a means of inflicting harm, of any computer, computer system, computer software programme, malicious code, computer virus or process or any other electronic system.

The Budapest Convention on the Contract for the Carriage of Goods by Inland Waterways, known as the CMNI, applies to contracts for the carriage of goods when undertaken solely via European inland waterways which allow vessel operators to limit their liability.

The Strasbourg Convention on the Limitation of Liability in Inland Navigation, known as the CLNI, enables owners, crewmembers and salvors to limit their liability in respect of a large number of claims made in connection with a single incident. There are two versions of the CLNI – the 1988 version applies to the Rhine and Mosel, whilst the 2012 version applies to all inland waterways. The claims owners are entitled to limit for under the CLNI include, but are not limited to, loss of life, personal injury, damage to property, delay and wreck removal.

We understand that you buy insurance to pay claims when they arise. Our claims team never loses sight of the fact that we are a mutual Club, owned by and at the service of our Members. This means that you have our support 24 hours a day, through our worldwide offices as well as an international network of correspondents. You will also be able to benefit from our loss prevention advice as well as our help in reviewing insurance related vessel contracts.

For help and assistance with all Inland Craft related matters, please contact:

DUPI Underwriting Agencies B.V.
Blaak 16, 6th floor
3011 TA Rotterdam
+3110 790 15 55
info@dupi.com

Shipowners' Club
White Chapel Building, 2nd Floor
10 Whitechapel High Street
London E1 8QS

Tel: +44 207 488 0911
Fax: +44 207 480 5806
Email: info@shipownersclub.com