Standard Club bolsters Asia business with appointments, new offerings

As Standard seeks to expand its business in Greater China, it has recruited a marine surveyor and an underwriter to join its Hong Kong team. These hires, Standard said, will enhance its service to members and strengthen its partnership with major Chinese insurer Ping An.

Standard Club’s joint venture with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire (TMNF) has continued to grow, and it now underwrites 10% of P&I business in Japan. In April, Standard opened a new claims office in Tokyo, led by Japanese claims director Masaki Maeda, who works with TMNF to provide excellent claims service to Japanese shipowners.

To better serve Asian members and brokers, Standard Club launched a Japanese-language hub within its website, while a Mandarin-language hub is currently being developed. It will also soon launch its WeChat platform, which will offer news, insight and guidance to Chinese members.

In February, Standard Club will launch its coastal and inland class in Asia. The class provides specialist cover to commercial coastal vessels (typically up to 10,000 GT) operating in harbours and coastal areas. Coastal & Inland class members will be supported from the Singapore office, with the product rollout focused on the Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand markets.

The coastal and inland class will also include strike and delay cover, which protects a shipowner or charterer in case their vessel is held up by strikes, port closures, collisions, breakdowns and other unexpected delays.