IG Guidelines for Correspondents A Correspondent’s Perspective

“IT DEPENDS”

IG Guidelines for Correspondents The Guidelines are a set of general instructions covering the basics of a P&I correspondent’s operation The guidelines: - set the minimum standards of conduct - serve the industry as a document of common understanding

IG Guidelines for Correspondents But it is not possible to regulate all aspects of how cases will be dealt with, in most cases it depends on the circumstances A correspondent’s perspective on the guidelines and how things run in practice, what are the challenges, and difficulties in regulating all aspects of the work

Conflicts One of the most challenging situations to handle There are sometimes challenges in applying the “first come, first served” principle The key is transparency Relationships can only survive if there are open lines of communication, honesty, integrity etc

Appointment of Experts A correspondent is only as good as the recommendation it makes Correspondent’s job to find the right person for the job Sometimes difficult to find the right person. Difficult also if have not had a previous chance to “test” an expert

Appointment of Experts How expert is the expert? Sometimes opt for a more trusted general practitioner with wider experience over the untested technical expert How independent is the expert? Where an expert does 95% of his work for one big exporter his level of independence is questionable

Reporting Advances in technology have changed reporting expectations – reports now expected much earlier, from site and more frequently A new culture is developing with blackberries, effectively you are always on the job and this requires new thinking and systems

Reporting Reliance on email means the emphasis is more on speed and often we miss the opportunity to wait and think a little Email is still no substitute for picking up the telephone

Claims Handling Role of correspondent has changed as Clubs and members handle more claims in-house Also, Clubs give more input as a result of advances in technology – better/faster communication

Claims Handling What is expected of a correspondent depends upon many factors - Club - handler - Member - geography - level of claim - sensitivity/political environment

It Depends Important to have a degree of flexibility What is expected of the correspondent will depend upon the circumstances Defining factor in the role of a correspondent is the human element Correspondents across different geographical locations will reflect the local culture and have different approaches Within companies individuals will have different approaches Increased regulation would this limit this human element

The Human Element It’s all about the human element It takes a special kind of people to fix it….