07.45-09.00

Registration and Refreshments sponsored by TBC

08.55-09.00

Welcome Address:

Grant Attwell, Managing Director, Cannon Events

09.00-09.30

Keynote Address: State of the Market 2024

The marine insurance market is undergoing significant changes as it moves away from the corrective phase. Jim will provide an update on the current state of the market, including the marine, cargo, and logistics sectors. He will also address key concerns from both industry and client perspectives.

Presenter: Jim Matthews, Senior Client Advisor, SVP, US East Zone Marine Practice, Marsh

09.30-10.10

Panel Discussion: Running Out of Water – Climate Change Becomes Reality

As the water supplying the Panama Canal dries up, the marine market is questioning whether this is a temporary event, or something more permanent. Whichever way it falls, there are serious, immediate concerns around supply chain. Vessel owners are choosing between waiting in a long queue or re-routing. Neither option is good for a sector that is trying to decarbonize, as this session examines.

Moderator: Daniel Meneses, Head of Communications, ALSUM

Panellists: Frank Gonynor, Senior Claims Adviser/Lawyer, Gard North America

Thiago Gonçalves, Managing Director, Head of Marine, Cargo and Logistics – Latin America & Caribbean – LAC, Marsh

Matias Bøe Olsen, Senior Executive Underwriter & Decarbonisation Coordinator, Skuld

Jennifer D’Arcy, Executive Vice President – Facultative Reinsurance, Acrisure Re

10.10-10.50

Panel Discussion: Where’s the Competitive Advantage in Technology?

All firms have some sort of technology on board, leading to the question of how companies can gain competitive advantage through their use of technology. This session will explore the emerging technologies, and discuss how companies can use these to their advantage.

Moderator: Matt Roper, Marine Practice Leader, One80 Intermediaries

Panellists: Chris Law, Senior Vice President Marine Risks and Loss Control, Aon

Charlie McCammon, Director Marine Consulting, Willis Towers Watson

Simon Hodgkinson, Global Head of Loss Prevention, West of England Club

Tim Crowe, Director, RB Jones

10.50-11.20

Coffee and Networking in the Pre-Function Area

11.20-11.40

Presentation: Changing the Rules – The Ocean Shipping Reform Act 2022

These new rules followed disputes between container carriers and US companies. This session will explore how this new Act is working in practice, and answer whether or not it has changed market practice in the expected way.

Presenter: Andy Lewis, Senior Vice President, McGriff

11.40-12.20

Panel Discussion: How to Interpret the Rules, and How to Settle through Arbitration?

Arbitration is a necessarily closed-doors affair, but how does the marine market learn from these cases and understand how to interpret the rules in the future? This session looks at recent arbitrated cases that have come into the spotlight, and at the trends for both mediation and arbitration.

Moderator:  David Y. Loh, Member, KMA Zuckert

Panelists: Molly McCaffety, Senior Vice President, Co-Global Claims Director, Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc

Aase Naaman Jensen, Senior Vice President, Skuld

Frank Sioli, Director/Shareholder, Sioli, Alexander, Pino Law

Ed Carlson, Senior Claims Executive, U.K P&I Club

12.20-13.00

Panel Discussion: Inching Upwards – Coverage Creep

After several years of a hard market, this session asks whether there are signs of a softer period ahead. It appears there are signs of coverage creep, heralding a new market cycle. We ask what that means for the market in the year ahead. Is it simply about terms and conditions, or are rates and deductibles changing, too?

Moderator: John Miklus, President, American Institute of Marine Underwriters

Panelists: Lincoln Purdy, Vice President, Starr Marine

Ryan O’Connor, North American Regional Head Ocean Cargo, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty

Joe Crace, Global Risk Manager, Dole

Ken Fichtelman, Partner and Head of US Marine & Cargo, McGill

13.00-14.00

Lunch and Networking in the Pre-Function Area

14.00-14.20

Presentation: Red Sea Insurers Wary of Transit Risks

With insurers pulling certain war risk cover for Red Sea transits, this session will take a look at the latest state of play for the region and will ask whether the market is responding adequately given the risks involved for vessels. With the situation unlikely to be resolved quickly, we ask whether there might have to be a change from the standard approach.

Presenter: Gina Hernandez, Assistant Vice President, Marine Product Leader – Eastern Territory, CNA Hardy

14.20-14.50

Fireside Chat: Time for a Revamp? Marine Warranties Under Scrutiny

Marine warranty surveys are standard fare, but the question that is being asked more often these days is whether it is time for a revamp? This session will explore whether marine warranties are still fit for purpose, resulting in claims being settled promptly and adequately. We will consider what is being missed in current processes, and what could be improved.

Participants: Jarek Klimczak, Master Mariner, Senior Risk Account Consultant, Marine – Americas, AXA XL Risk Consulting

Capt. Rahul Khanna, Global Head Marine Risk Consulting, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty

James Vavasour, Business Stream Director, Global Maritime

14.50-15.30

Panel Discussion: All Change – New Leaders Changing the Shape of Latin American Markets

A series of elections and shifting political stances across Latin America have changed the mood of the marine markets. This session will analyze the new atmosphere, and what that might mean for marine insurers operating out of the US into the region, particularly with the ever-shifting sanctions regimes.

Moderator: Christopher Munro, North American Associate Editor, The Insurer

Pannelists: Juan Carlos Martinez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CargoCorp UW

Rafael A. Diaz-Oquendo, Vice President, Regional Manager (Latin America), UK P&I Club

Efrain Ignacio Sora, Vice President, Marine, Marine, Latin America and the Caribbean, Navigators

Astrid Karam, Marine, Cargo & Logistics and Aviation Vice President, Marsh 

15.30-15.50

Coffee and Networking in the Pre-Function Area

15.50-16.20

Presentation: The Weapon of Choice – Sanctions

For the past few years, the US and Europe in particular have made sanctions their weapon of choice in the face of conflict. Today, there are US sanctions applying all across the world, and they change almost daily. This session will take a brief look at the ever-changing sanctions regime, and the geo-political environment in which they sit, from Black and Red Sea tensions to China and beyond.

Presenter: Gina Venezia, General Counsel, NorthStandard

16.20-16.40

Presentation: Adding up the Aggregation

Aggregation remains really worrying for the cargo insurance market, as cargo insurers struggle to keep up to date with where a cargo is at any given time. The risks associated with not having full visibility on cargo movements is leading to concerns from senior management about levels of exposure for the insurers, as we uncover in this session.

Presenter: Andy Yeoman, Chief Executive Officer, Concirrus

16.40-17.00

Presentation: What Does Safe Look Like? The Latest on Lithium Batteries

After the International Union of Marine Insurers said last year that lithium batteries were safe to carry by sea, there was an immediate reaction from the market. The answer, it seems, is not a clear cut yes or no but a more nuanced one. Batteries are safe, but only when not mislabelled, undamaged or manufactured with care. This session takes a wider look at the reasons behind the fires.

Presenter: Todd Hohlweck, US Marine Industry Technical Leader, Senior Vice President – Global Marine Practice, Marsh

17.00-18.00

Drinks Reception