We could easily summarize 2020 as a year of redefinition on all fronts. The coronavirus pandemic has played a crucial role in reorganizing priorities, expediting the use of technology to keep people connected and putting the spotlight on the P&I trends that have surfaced in the crisis. “Managing claims in Latin America and the Caribbean is sometimes challenging, with multiple languages, numerous legal systems where most of them follow the civil law system, and different cultural approaches to business,” reads the promotional brochure for the “Navigating Latin America: Focus on Chile, IMO2020, pollution and P&I trends 2020,” webinar organized by the UK P&I Club in conjunction with JJR Abogados, Atlantic Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Ultranav and the support of MundoMaritimo, which aims to analyze Latin America and Chile from the P&I standpoint.

On Thursday December 10, renowned speakers from the USA, UK and Chile will focus on taking a deeper look into some of the challenges in the region, addressing topics of major interest such as “1) IMO 2020, the aftermath from the perspective of the operator and Club, including the transition itself and early specification trends, enforcement examples and statutory interpretation, COVID-19 and changing blend stocks (i.e. introduction of jet components); 2) pollution, considering the Club’s pollution claims handling and Chile’s pollution legal scheme, including an overview of the handling of major pollution incidents in the Americas, lessons learned from past pollution incidents, and an approach to Chile’s pollution legal scheme and intended legal amendments; and 3) P&I trends for the year, what has 2020 taught us?,” according to the organizing team.

“After almost one year of isolation due to the pandemic, this webinar, organized by the UK Club, is a great initiative to address the challenges we’ve had to face. For instance, the P&I trends for the year section will focus on the impact of COVID on P&I claims and P&I Clubs, the 2021 P&I renewal environment and the UK Club & Civil Aviation (CAE) partnership, which is something totally innovative within the industry aimed to improve loss prevention shipping practice, based on lessons from the aviation industry. This webinar goes beyond Chile and is certainly a “must” for people engaged in shipping within Latam,” says Ricardo Rozas, Partner at the Chilean shipping law firm JJR Abogados, who will also act as moderator during the event.

Top-level speakers

In order to lead such a high-level conversation, it is crucial to have knowledgeable speakers to analyze the situation from all standpoints. The webinar’s panelists include key executives from the UK Club, such as Leanne O’Loughlin, Regional Director (USA), Alec Kyrle-Pope, Charterers Risk Specialist (UK), Rafael Diaz, Senior Claims Executive (USA), and Stuart Edmonston, Loss Prevention Director (UK). In addition, Richard Adler, Key Client Broker & Chief Commercial Officer of Atlantic Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, will comment on the 2021 P&I renewal and Felipe Carrillo, Senior Manager & Head of Insurance and Claims at Ultranav, will add the operator’s standpoint in connection with IMO 2020.

According to Leanne O’Loughlin, Regional Director of the UK Club for the Americas, “Latin America is recognized by the UK P&I Club as a diverse region which presents numerous opportunities for growth. The UK Club values its existing long-standing relationships in Latin American countries, and we are keen to continue to grow our partnerships with ship owners, operators, charterers and traders. The pandemic has undoubtedly created incredible challenges for the maritime industry, but at the same time, it has forced us to adapt and find new ways to see – albeit virtually, our members and industry partners through webinars.” Rafael Diaz, Senior Claims Executive for the Americas, adds “it is a great honour and privilege to launch this webinar focused on Chile with Ultranav, JJR Abogados, Atlantic, and MundoMaritimo, offering a highly qualified panel to discuss topics of interest for Chile and Latin America. We look forward meeting the region’s expectations.”

The webinar, which will be entirely in English, will be on 2 PM New Jersey, USA / 4 PM Santiago, Chile / 7 PM London, England. Early registration attendees will have priority during the Q&A. Sign up here.