Claims Handling
The most frequent contact between the Member and the Club Managers is in connection with claims; the following provides information on the Club's philosophy and practical approach to the successful resolution of Members' claims.
Claims Teams
Claims handlers are organised in separate claims teams each led by a Director and consisting of 4 to 5 people. Each claims team provides services to Members having a common geographical area of management. The system works such that if an incident leading to a claim occurs in (say) Singapore affecting a ship entered by a Member from Japan, then the claim will be dealt with by the Japan claims team. By operating in this way claims staff develop close working relationships with individual Members and establish a sound knowledge of the trades, mode of operation, and claims history of the Member and are better able to respond appropriately to the Member's needs.
Personal Injury and Freight, Demurrage and Defence (FD&D)
Exceptions to the organisation of claims teams described above arise in respect of the handling of personal injury and FD&D claims. Because of the specialised nature of these types of claim the Club has dedicated claims staff who deal with personal injury and FD&D matters. All personal injury claims arising anywhere in the world and from any Member are dealt with by a specialist claims team. Because personal injury claims are often only one element in a more complicated P&I claim, the personal injury claims team maintains a close relationship with the Member's regular claims team. FD&D claims are always handled by a qualified lawyer experienced in FD&D matters. They will generally be part of the Member's regular P&I claims team, but may be an FD&D specialist.
Control of Claims
The control of claims handling rests with the claims teams based in London. The Club's correspondents do not have authority to settle claims themselves. This policy is adopted to ensure that all Members' claims are dealt with in a fair and equitable manner. To ensure consistency of approach across the whole Club and the sharing of knowledge and experience, a committee of Claims Directors meets regularly to assess the development of all current claims in excess of USD 250,000. In addition, the Claims Sub-Committee, consisting of all Claims Directors, meets regularly to discuss matters of general importance relating to claims.
Role of the Correspondents
Whilst Britannia correspondents may not have authority to settle claims they are a vital link in the successful handling of claims, particularly at the earliest stages after an incident. In the event of an incident it is usually desirable for the Master of the Member's vessel to make direct contact with the Club's local port correspondent. The Club correspondents are knowledgeable in P&I matters with good contacts with relevant authorities as well as specialist surveyors in their area. In emergency situations the Club correspondents can take necessary action without making contact with the Managers. The correspondent continues to provide a link locally and can play a key role in the prompt issuance of a Club letter of guarantee in the event of an actual or threatened ship arrest.
Loss Prevention
Wherever possible the Club's claims handlers themselves handle the resolution of claims. There are a significant number of legally-qualified claims handlers working together with ex-seafarers in the claims teams. The ability to handle claims 'in-house', without using external lawyers, means that the cost of claims handling is significantly reduced. Claims handlers will appoint external lawyers when appropriate, but in such circumstances the lawyer will work under the close guidance of the responsible claims handler. Not only does this preference for handling claims 'in-house' keep costs under control, it also means that the Club's claim handlers are able to develop close working relationships with the Members.
