Insurer Releases Heavy Weather Alert Tool

Maritime insurance specialist The Swedish Club reports that it registered claims exceeding $25million attributable to heavy weather over the past five years. In response, it has developed a Heavy Weather Alert tool as an addition to its existing loss prevention tool.

Heavy weather can cause structural damage, shifted cargo, broken mooring lines, wet damage, lost cargo overboard, and more. The Club says it has also seen examples where vessels have failed to suspend cargo operations and depart port in a timely manner when severe weather is approaching, resulting in major losses and claims.

The new tool provides timely loss prevention advice to insured vessels operating in proximity to severe weather patterns. Based on a vessel’s position, in combination with up-to-date weather information and real-time data, the Heavy Weather Alert system automatically generates a customized loss prevention alert, with hands-on advice, when severe weather conditions are detected near a vessel's position – thereby helping to mitigate potential risks and ensuring the safety of both crew and cargo.

The service has been fully developed in-house by The Swedish Club's Loss Prevention and IT departments.