North P&I Club Boost Loss Prevention Team in Asia Pacific
North P&I Club has boosted its loss-prevention presence in the Asia Pacific. Loss prevention executive George Cuthbert moved to Singapore from North’s head office in Newcastle this month to work alongside loss prevention executive Aniruddha Desai, who joined North last April.
North’s Singapore office manager James Moran says, ‘There is a growing demand for loss prevention support and advice from our members in Asia Pacific. Having senior staff from North’s 13-strong loss prevention team based in the region will help to provide a more effective service and strengthen relationships. We look forward to working with George and benefitting from his and Aniruddha’s extensive experience in commanding large merchant vessels and ship management expertise.’
Cuthbert spent 22 years at sea, mostly on tankers and dry bulk carriers, and qualified as a master mariner in 1986. In 1995 he went ashore to join the UK ship management division of US tanker company OSG, where he became general manager and, after a brief spell in the USA with OSG Lightering, became managing director in 2013. He joined North’s loss prevention team in Newcastle, UK, in October 2014.
Desai, also a master mariner, sailed for 18 years on bulk carriers and product tankers before coming ashore to manage a large shipyard workforce, specialising in marine coatings and outfitting. After three years he moved to ship management, where he spent four years as a senior superintendent looking after the operational and safety aspects of a fleet of bulk carriers. He joined North’s Singapore office in April 2015.
North’s Singapore loss prevention service is fully integrated with its team in Newcastle and provides loss prevention support and advice to North’s Asia Pacific members. The service was pioneered in 2013 with the secondment of Andrew Kirkham to Singapore, who has since returned to the UK. Following in Kirkham’s footsteps, Cuthbert and Desai will also help to run North’s residential training course in P&I insurance and loss prevention.
North’s Singapore office opened in 2007 and now has 15 staff including five P&I claims specialists, five freight, demurrage and defence (FD&D) solicitors and two loss prevention executives. Together with the Hong Kong and Tokyo offices, they serve the needs of the Club’s steadily growing Asia Pacific membership, which now accounts for 35% of entered tonnage.
