08.15-08.55

Registration and Coffee in the Pre-Function Area

08.55-09.00

Welcome Address: Daniel Creasey, Managing Director, Cannon Events

09.00-09.20

Keynote Address: TBC

TBC

Marcus Baker, Global Head of Marine, Cargo and Logistics, Marsh

09.20-10.00

Panel Discussion: Ending the Roller Coaster Ride?

The market cycle has been well established for centuries, however, in recent times the cycle has been ever shorter, particularly the period of maximum returns. The soft market has also fallen to punishing and unsustainable levels. So how can the market end the relentless downward spirals? This panel discussion will discuss how best to stop, or at least slow the cycle, instil market discipline and improve pricing adequacy.

Moderator:

Panellists: Richard Hill, Senior Broker, Cambiaso Risso

Donna Young, Head of Cargo, Canopius

Christopher Hicks, Underwriting Manager Marine Cargo, Hull & War, Liberty Specialty Markets

Gordon Longley, Partner – Head of Transportation and Logistics, McGill and Partners

10.00-10.20

Presentation: Managing the Risks – Could More be Done?

Insurers and brokers are the ultimate risk managers, helping insureds take risks off the balance sheets. In this session, we ask whether the dialogue between insurer and insured could increase to improve risk management and reduce the overall cost of claims. We also consider how insurers themselves view their own risk management and again, whether further improvements could be made.

Presenter: Ulrich Kuetter, Head of Global Insurance Solutions, DB Schenker

10.20-10.40

Presentation: The New Global Pandemic – Theft

Cargo insurers are reporting a noticeable increase in theft and fraud claims impacting insureds’ goods. However, the modus operandi has shifted from the robber with his swag bag to a sophisticated model involving organised crime and the latest technologies. This session analyses the latest trends and asks how insurers can help stem the tide.

Presenter: Juan Carlos Martinez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CargoCorp Underwriters

10.40-11.00

Presentation: Counting the Cost of Container Losses

In the aftermath of Covid-19 and the frenzy of the disrupted supply chain, the market had to bear a spate of container losses overboard. In 2024, the issue reared its head once more as vessels headed around the Cape instead of going through the Suez Canal. In this session, we hear of the 2024 loss figures for containers and identify the trends driving the numbers.

Presenter:

11.00-11.30

Coffee and Networking Break

11.30-11.50

Fireside Chat: Old Versus New – How are New Staff Trained?

In the past, young insurance professionals learned their trade by sitting next to more experienced colleagues and simply watching them work. Working from home threw that model up in the air and today, that model hardly exists. But does that matter?  In this session, we speak to a well-seasoned professional, as well as a new entrant to the market to hear their views and understand what really works for the next generation.

Participants:

11.50-12.10

Presentation: Is Cargo Insurance Fit for Purpose?

Anecdotally, the numbers suggest that some 80% of cargo is shipped without insurance. Why is that? In this session, we hear from a leading freight forwarder, explaining why smaller companies in particular will not bother with insurance, despite the risks of no protection for their cargoes. We consider what the insurance industry is doing to help itself and ask whether a cargo ‘Uber’ might disrupt the market and change the dynamic.

Presenter: Steve Parker, Director General British International Freight Association (BIFA)

12.10-12.30

Case Study: Cargo Losses in Practice

Cargo losses continue to escalate, both in terms of volume and severity. In this session, we hear from a leading surveyor providing an in-depth case study into a recent casualty, explaining the process of the claim and identifying the lessons to be learned for the wider market.

Presenter: Iryna Petrenko, Manager of Claims and P&I Department, Nordic Marine Solutions

12.30-13.30

Lunch and Networking Break

13.30-13.50

Presentation: Making Peace with your AI Colleague

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) pervades all our offices, with experts predicting that 2025 will be the year when we see AI colleagues appear beside us. This session explores the way in which AI is being used in the cargo insurance sector and how it is changing the approach to rating and risk management, as well as the difference it is making to those already employed in the sector.

Presenter:

13.50-14.30

Panel Discussion: The Cost of the Red Sea Conflict

For the past year, the Houthi rebels have been attacking vessels crossing the Red Sea, resulting in some major claims for the cargo market. The Sounion alone is said to have had cargo worth almost $70mn, all of which is leading to increased cargo rates for anyone still using the route. This panel discussion will look at the latest state of play, but also at the impact on war clauses and rates for cargo interests, as well as the impact on the alternative route around the Cape.

Moderator:

Panellists: David Pressman, Senior Cargo Underwriter, Markel International

Alex Smith, Underwriter, Cargo, Ascot

Ellis Morley, Associate Director, Cargo and Commodoties, Howden

14.30-14.50

Fireside Chat: Sanctions – Not a Level Playing Field

Like it or not, insurers are increasingly being dragged into global politics. Sanctions have been adopted in recent years to bring rogue states to heel through financial penalties, usually including a restriction on insurance. In the past year the Middle East conflict, as well as the continuing war between Ukraine and Russia, have impacted cargo routes and costs, as well as insurance programmes. In this fireside chat, we discuss what this global uncertainty has meant for cargo rates, as well as taking a look at how sanctions impact some insurance markets, but not others.

Participants:

14.50-15.10

Coffee and Networking Break

15.10-16.00

Roundtable Sessions:

Each roundtable will run for 20 minutes. There will be a 5-minute break to allow delegates to change tables and the tables will then be repeated in a second 20-minute seating.

16.00-16.20

Case Study: Fanning the Flames – What’s in the Box?

Too often, vessel crews are fighting for their lives as fires break out within containers on board. In this session, we explore a practical case study on what is happening and what that means for insurers. We also consider the way in which the number of liquefaction incidents have been reduced and see if there are lessons to be learned for the container sector as a whole.

Presenter:

16.20-16.40

Presentation: The Dali Fallout for the Cargo Market

When the Dali hit the bridge in the Port of Baltimore, the entire marine insurance market feared the coming claim. Today, the claim is far from settled with some large, looming questions still up in the air. Uppermost of those is whether the existing limits on liability might be breached and by how much. While this might seem like a conversation for the hull market, the cargo sector, too, has a vested interest in the outcome, as we explore in this session.

Presenter:

16.40-17.00

Presentation: The Driest of the Dry

Drought across South and Latin America has been causing issues for cargo, from the vessels who were limited in transiting the Panama Canal, to those trying to head upstream on an ever-shallower Amazon River. Without large ships able to transit these waters, cargo has to be transferred numerous times on its journey, running extra risks to the security of the cargo. At the other end of the spectrum, hurricanes, tornadoes and typhoons have all become more extreme. Claims are on the rise and in this session, we ask whether insurers are prepared for these changing risks.

Presenter:

17.00

Closing Remarks and End of Conference