Company Profile
MISSION STATEMENT
To provide high quality P&I correspondency and allied services including a comprehensive investigation, negotiation and claims settlement service efficiently serving the interests of the Protection and Indemnity Clubs as well as the local and overseas ship owning and ship chartering concerns.
Services Provided
Trouble Shooting
South Africa has 1,500 Nautical Miles of coastline which separates the Indian and Atlantic Oceans until they meet one another at Cape point. These oceans are, at certain times of the year, extremely hostile and as a result, they have been responsible for the loss of numerous vessels starting from the first explorers searching for the wealthy trade routes to the east to modern vessels of the 21st century. Our reputation as a company offering an emergency and rapid response to the industry has resulted in the recovery and the prevention of loss of millions of dollars.
Claims
Many of our staff joined the company from legal and maritime disciplines so the company is able to offer a comprehensive investigating, negotiating, settlement claim service which has been enhanced by the forging of close relationships with the local maritime legal firms, cargo underwriters, and maritime experts whether in South Africa or abroad.
Disputes
Masters of ships visiting foreign ports often find themselves facing various disputes which require immediate intervention. Our in-house legal team together with our close relationship with local maritime legal firms enables us to quickly assess the situation and to offer the best possible solution. South Africa is infamous for its wide ranging ship and associated ship arrest provisions and the company is often contacted in the first instance by owners or charterers seeking urgent advice and a swift solution on how to respond to such arrests or on the provision of security.
Stowaways
In 2000 the cost of stowaways to the world shipping industry was estimated at a staggering 25 million dollars. The offices of P&I Associates have been able to assist shipowners and clubs on a world-wide basis by offering a comprehensive identification and documentation service made possible through our close links not only with many foreign missions and local and overseas diplomatic circles but with close liaison with the club’s world-wide network of correspondents.
Surveying
Much of the success in resolving subsequent disputes depends upon adequate investigation and the correct steps being taken at the time of the incident followed by comprehensive factual survey reports. To this end P&I Associates either appoint independent surveyors, who have been carefully selected for their knowledge in the P&I field, or utilise our in-house surveyors who come from a variety of skills and disciplines. As commercial correspondents for the International Group of P&I Clubs for 32 years and having been actively involved in the many shipping casualties that have occurred around the Southern Africa coast has enabled our staff to build up a pool of unrivalled expertise. As a result, the company is often requested to send surveyors to sometimes remote locations and to provide advice and assistance. The company maintains a unique file tracking and data base system which enables us to provide detailed analysis on loss prevention issues which is of vital importance to the industry.
Loss Prevention
The P&I Associates team regularly write and submit articles for publication in P&I club magazines and for local publications and a few of those articles can be found on this site. Keeping the industry aware of problems in our region is a strong part of the core service which we provide. Education is an essential tool in controlling loss and preventing unnecessary claims arising.
CORE CAPABILITIES
Crisis control - We have the ability to completely manage a major casualty that may beset one of our principals. We are not only the local eyes and ears and the conduit for information to be sent but also are able to offer expertise and manpower from our pool of resources.
Conflict management - In the shipping business due to the complexity of matters and the amount of different parties involved conflict situations nearly always arise. We pride ourselves in our ability to act with total impartiality to ensure that our principal’s position is fully protected and never compromised.
Service - We maintain and offer an extremely high standard of service and in order to ensure that the quality offered by P&I Associates is maintained at the highest level our head office in Durban together with offices at Cape Town and Richards Bay have obtained certification in terms of SABS ISO 9001 for service organisations.This makes us unique as we are the only P&I correspondency on the African Continent to be accredited with SABS ISO 9001:2000