ITIC News

THOMAS MILLER AUSTRALIA

The Sydney office was the first overseas office set up by Thomas Miller, and was established 30 years ago. The office has 8 staff and is located in the city, overlooking the Queen Victoria Building. TM(A) handle claims for over 130 Australian ITIC members. Membership in Australia comprises both marine and non-marine and include liner and tramp agencies, naval architects, marine surveyors, S&P and chartering brokers and ship managers.

The office is headed by Marcus John, who is a qualified lawyer who practised law in London and Sydney before joining Thomas Miler in 1995. He and Iain Sharples, who joined the London office of Thomas Miller in the same year, have extensive experience in claims work for the UK P&I, TT Club and ITIC. They are assisted by Alison Cook who is well on the way to finishing her legal studies, completing her law degree next year. She joined Thomas Miller London in 2000 and returned home to Sydney in 2003.

In addition, the office is well experienced in advising on contracts, bills of lading, transport contracts, charterparties, disclaimers, standard terms and conditions, and the office has an active involvement in industry associations, particularly Shipping Australia Ltd.

ITIC members in Australia should report all new claims to the Sydney office, the address and contact details of which are PO Box Q697, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia. Tel: +61 2 8262 5800. Fax: +61 2 8262 5858. E-mail: sydney.itic@thomasmiller.com

TONY PAYNE-A CAREER IN SHIPPING.

Tony Payne has always been adaptable and enthusiastic for whatever task he was pitched into. That is certainly why he succeeded in the world of shipping, which he left upon his retirement as managing director of the ITIM on 31st March 2006.

Tony joined ITIM, and its predecessor TIM, from the outset, helping to shape it into one of the most successful organisations in the sector. However, he started his professional life as a management trainee for Port Line, a British shipping company, which made him work his passage to Australia where he worked in the Sydney office, before he left to work as a jackaroo in Queensland.

After a few months he returned to Port Line’s offices where he was introduced to the intricate world of bills of lading inwards prior to spending a few more months dealing with bills of lading outwards. However, after eight months or so, Tony was beginning to get restless and accepted a job in Singapore. So began his entry into the world of ship agents. He was placed in charge of service to “sundry ships” that were usually making a bunkering call after weeks at sea serving China or South America.

While in Singapore, incidentally, there was a brief foray into modelling when Tony appeared in a cinema advertisement for Tiger Beer after being recommended by a colleague.

Subsequently he accepted a job as a deputy office manager for Gellatly Hankey in Saudi Arabia. He found that the firm was a Lloyd’s agent, ship agent and agent for other businesses including the Australian Wheat Board, BMW and Sony.

Settled in Jeddah, Tony welcomed many visitors, one of whom was a leading London surveyor who asked what he knew of Greece. Behind the question was the search by Thomas Miller for someone to take over management of its Piraeus office, which was a Lloyd’s agent and correspondent for UK P&I Club. That conversation led to Tony leaving his Saudi job for Piraeus in 1974, where he was to stay until 1985. Being so close to Greek shipping for 11 years was “very helpful”.

In the early 1980s Thomas Miller decided to launch the first industry mutual since it formed the Through Transport Club. The new body went by the name of Transport Intermediaries Mutual, (or TIM), and Tony was invited to be general manager. Back he went to London for TIM, which then had a premium income of $1m or less and fewer than 100 members.

TIM was launched in favourable conditions and was doing well in competition with the mutual that had been in the same field for half a century, CISBA, (the Chartered and International Shipbrokers' P&I Association) managed by Tindall Riley. In 1992 it was decided the two should merge, which produced the newly named ITIC with 900 members and premium income of $12m. Today the Club has nearly 1,800 members and has a premium income of $35m.

It has proved a total success story in the mutual field. ITIC prides itself in having an excellent working relationship with the members, supported by its policy of giving staff the dual role of underwriting and claims executives and Tony played a key role in this development, having contributed to, and lead, the development of your Club. We wish him well in his retirement.

HENRIK LEHMANN RETIRES

Henrik Lehmann, Deputy Chairman of ITIC, retired in March 2006. His company, Lehmann Nordic A/S, became members of ISBA (International Shipbrokers and Agents P&I Club) in 1976. A couple of years later, Henrik was asked to join the board for the usual term of one year.

After the first couple of meetings, the board of ISBA approved the merger of ISBA with CSPI (Chartered Shipbrokers P&I, a Club established in 1925), and CISBA (Chartered and International Shipbrokers and Agents P&I) was born. Henrik was invited to remain on the board of the new Club, although his 12 months had elapsed.

In 1984, as the number of members increased and as competition appeared in the form of the Transport Intermediaries Mutual (TIM) run by Thomas Miller, the Board of CISBA, then chaired by Henrik, concluded that the time had come to invite a specialist company to manage the Club. Consequently, Tindall Riley (managers of Britannia P & I Club) were invited to run CISBA, and Henrik took a great interest in the growth of the Club under its new management.

The first discussions on the merger with TIM took place in 1989 and CISBA and TIM merged in 1992 to create ITIC. Henrik was appointed Deputy Chairman of the new Club.

Since then, the organisation has never looked back, first under the joint management of Tindall Riley and Thomas Miller, and from 1996 under the sole management of Thomas Miller. Members are still joining in increasing numbers, finances are going from strength to strength and Henrik is delighted to have been involved during the most successful period in the history of mutual insurance for transport intermediaries.

THOMAS MILLER HONG KONG

The Thomas Miller Hong Kong branch is the Asia Pacific headquarters for Thomas Miller managed Clubs such as the UK P&I Club, TT Club and ITIC. The office has over 30 staff with a wide range of professional qualifications (e.g. ACII / LLB holders, master mariners, and qualified lawyers), who provide it with substantial experience and local expertise when serving the members of the various Clubs.

Harry Lee has recently completed a 19-month secondment to Thomas Miller's head office in London and has now returned to the Hong Kong branch. During his time in London, Harry trained with ITIC London, which he enjoyed very much. On his return, he now assumes claims handling and servicing responsibility for ITIC's Hong Kong membership, which mainly consists of liner and tramp agents, marine surveyors, ship managers, and S&P / chartering brokers.

Harry is an economics and law graduate with eight years experience in handling a wide range of claims in relation to logistics contracts, charterparties and bills of lading, terminal operations, real property and business interruption, cargo handling / carrying equipments, third-party liabilities, and professional indemnity (for marine professionals).

TOUR POUR LA MER

A dedicated team from ITIM successfully completed the 125 mile charity cycle ride from Greenwich to Le Touquet recently. The “Tour Pour La Mer” was organised by V Ships, together with the American Bureau of Shipping and Intertanko, to raise money for the Missions to Seafarers and the Sea Alarm Foundation.

ITIM’s team comprised of Chris Arnold, Vincent Egon and Roger Lewis. Shaded from the morning sun by the masts of the Cutty Sark the team set off at a good pace in the direction of Dover. Not content with the considerable distance, the organisers decided that the cyclists would enjoy the challenge of a more scenic itinerary; eighty-two miles and an aggregate hill climb of three thousand feet later the team rolled into Dover and embarked on the ferry to Calais.

After a night's rest in the hotel, the second day saw a return to unrelenting hill climbs for the first thirty miles, followed by a gala dinner in Le Touquet.

The event has been a great success for the charities it supported as well as a lot of fun for us. ITIM collected GBP 1,700 and we thank to all who sponsored us in this event, especially Ravenscroft Shipping, who were extremely generous. We are all looking forward to the next shipping cycling event rumoured to London to Amsterdam, via Harwich, next May and Members are, of course, welcome to join us.

ITIC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Club has announced the retirement of Deputy Chairman Henrik Lehmann (as reported elsewhere in this publication) from the board of directors. Steven See and Simon Morse have also retired from the board.

Peter French of BMT Ltd (London) and Bob Flynn of Mallory, Jones Lynch Flynn & Associates Inc (Geneva) joined the board in March 2006 and Terence Sit of Jardine Shipping Services (Hong Kong) and Bjorn Tonsberg of Wilhelmsen Maritime Services AS (Singapore) will join the board in September 2006.

LLOYD’S SHIP MANAGERS CONFERENCE

Charlotte Kirk will be speaking at the 16th annual Lloyd’s Ship Manger Ship Management Conference in Cyprus on 11th and 12th October 2006. For more details visit : www.lloydslistevents.com/lm1778