08.15-08.55

Registration and Coffee in the Upper River Room

08.55-09.00

Welcome Address: Daniel Creasey, Managing Director, Cannon Events

09.00-09.20

Keynote Address: Energy transition in shipping

In this keynote session, we explore the risks, benefits and investments of the energy transition in shipping, diving into the various challenges and opportunities as well as considering the cost of change. We will also highlight the importance of insurers travelling with shipping interests as they navigate the transition to a greener future – insurers will need to develop innovative products that will be future-fit and remain relevant for the end consumer.

Presenter: Lars Henneberg, Vice President, Head of Risk Management, A.P.Moller-Maersk

09.20-10.00

Panel Discussion: State of the Market – Going Too Well?

The marine insurance market cycle never sleeps and after a few good years, it appears some sections of the market are on the brink of turning downwards once more. In this session, we analyse the results of the 1/1 reinsurance and the 20th February P&I renewal season, before looking at its impact on the primary market.

Moderator: Philip Graham, Head of Marine RUL, Allianz Commercial

Panellists: Ilias Tsakiris, Chair, Ocean Hull Committee, International Union of Marine Insurance

John Owen, Head of Specialty, AXIS Global Markets and Chief Executive Officer, AXIS Managing Agency

Manos Lorentzos, Executive Director, Seascope Europe and Chairman, Hellenic Committee of Lloyd’s Brokers

10.00-10.20

Presentation: All is Not Totally Lost – Insurers’ Rights and Opportunities on Payment of a Detention CTL

Where the fate of a detained vessel is uncertain, paying the full insured value under a war risks policy pursuant to a detention clause can sometimes appear to grant a windfall to the insured.  We will examine insurers’ legal rights and commercial options in the aftermath of a CTL claim.

Presenter: Jenny Salmon, Legal Director, HFW

Bea Bray, Associate, HFW

10.20-10.40

Presentation: 2025 – The Year of the AI Work Colleague

The amount of information individuals, including underwriters, are expected to hold has grown enormously. Everyone is expected to have all the answers at their fingertips. The challenge is how to manage all that information, sift through what is important and distil that quickly enough. AI can help with that. In this session, we consider how AI might change the lives of underwriters and whether they are ready to accept that AI colleague.

Presenter: Ruth Polyblank, Director Product and Strategy, Concirrus

10.40-11.00

Case Study: Zero-Defect Core Modernisation – The Role of Programme Management in Business-Critical Transformation

As marine insurance evolves, so must its core systems. Modernising a legacy platform is a high-stakes challenge that demands strong programme management, clear execution and risk mitigation strategies. This case study explores how a structured transformation approach ensured the seamless modernisation of a business-critical system. The result? A go-live with zero critical defects.

Participants: Karol Bartosiak, Business Partner Insurance Practice, Future Processing

James Holmes, Interim Program Director, former CIO

11.00-11.30

Coffee and Networking Break in the Upper River Room

11.30-11.50

Presentation: Pollution – One Step Away from a Major Disaster

The marine market shudders when it thinks back to the Exxon Valdez, however in today’s world, the risks of a major pollution incident off a well-populated coast is greater than ever before. The Sounion case off the Yemeni coast almost proved the point as we discuss in this session, in which we ask whether salvors will always be prepared to go into such dangerous situations and how that question should impact insurer behaviour.

Presenter: Richard Janssen, Managing Director, SMIT Salvage

11.50-12.30

Panel Discussion: War Risks – How the War Market is Reacting to a Challenging Global Security Situation

The War Market has responded to many challenges in recent years: Somali piracy, West African piracy, Russia/Ukraine War, vessel detentions and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. In this session, the panel looks at lessons learned, explores the health of the War Market and looks to its future challenges in the face of a worrying global security situation

Moderator: Richard Neylon, Partner, HFW

Panellists: Anders Hovelsrud, Insurance Director (Cefor Chair), Den Norske Krigsforsikring for Skib (DNK)

Annabel Davies, Head of Marine Hull, Lancashire Insurance

Nick Whitear, Marine War Underwriter, Canopius

Tom Bomford, Director, Marine Hull, Global, Aon

12.30-13.20

Lunch and Networking in the Upper River Room

13.20-14.00

Panel: LOF – A New Perspective

2024 was a busy year for LOF, with a new version of the form and the introduction of the surprisingly controversial LOF clause. Despite these changes, much of the debate focussed on doom and gloom with usage of the form remaining at or close to a historic low. This experienced panel, moderated by Andrew Chamberlain of HFW,  will provide an upbeat and positive update, including an introduction to the revised LOF default clause, and some fresh and exciting ideas as to how better to promote the world’s oldest salvage contract and educate a new generation of potential users of LOF.

Moderator: Andrew Chamberlain, Partner, HFW

Panellists: Francesco Zolezzi, Claims Manager, Cambiaso Risso

Wilco Alberda, Commercial Director, SMIT Salvage

Arabella Ramage, Legal Director, Lloyd’s Market Association

Kiran Khosla, Principal Director (Legal), International Chamber of Shipping

14.00-14.20

Fireside Chat: Calling Time on Sanctions?

Sanctions have been used as a weapon for a number of years now, but the war between Russia and Ukraine sparked a wave of sanctions, the likes of which has never been seen before. In this session, we take a hypothetical scenario of a tanker hitting the Spanish coast and spilling its sanctioned oil and consider who bears the ultimate responsibility and who would be left footing the bill.

Participants: Mike Salthouse, Head of External Affairs, NorthStandard

Martin Hall, Partner, Hill Dickinson

14.20-14.35

Presentation: The Grey Fleet Boom – Navigating Sanctions and Trade Shifts in 2025

With sanctions tightening in 2025, these shadow vessels are using sophisticated evasion tactics to bypass regulations, shifting energy flows and geopolitical dynamics. This session will offer data-driven insights and enforcement forecasts, helping industry professionals navigate emerging risks in maritime shipping. Don’t miss this critical discussion on the future of sanctions and trade security

Presenter: Jean-Charles Gordon, Ship Tracking Director, Kpler

Dimitris Ampatzidis, Risk and Compliance Analyst, Kpler

14.35-14.55

In Summary: Legally Speaking

In recent times, a number of high-profile cases have gone through the courts. In this session, we provide a summary of those major cases and ask whether they will be market changing events.

Presenter: Peter MacDonald Eggers KC, Barrister, 7 King’s Bench Walk

14.55-15.15

Presentation: Is Nuclear Power Viable for Shipping?

Many in the market believe nuclear power will be the future for shipping if it wants to go green. However, beyond understanding the technology itself, there are plenty of questions to answer before nuclear becomes a viable alternative for the industry, including the need to revamp the legal frameworks, as well as policy wordings and availability of reinsurance for such vessels.

Presenter: Neil Henderson, Senior Executive Industry Liaison, Gard

15.15-15.35

Coffee and Networking Break in the Upper River Room

15.35-16.25

Round Table Sessions in the Newgate Suite

Each roundtable will run for 20 minutes. There will be a break to allow delegates to change tables and the tables will then be repeated in a second 20-minute seating.

16.25-16.45

Fireside Chat: Training for Fires

The market has seen an increase in claims related to engine fires in the past year. Some of these are caused by poor quality engines, but all too often it is the human factor to blame. In this session, we investigate why this is happening and consider the impact of cutting training budgets. We also consider the risk of downsizing the numbers of crew on board as vessels become more automated.

Participants: Jacob Damgaard, Divisional Director – Head of Loss Prevention, Britannia P&I

Capt. Simon Hodgkinson, Global Head of Loss Prevention, West of England P&I Club

16.45-17.00

Presentation: The Insurers Role in Enabling Change

Geopolitics and the increasing use of sanctions and now tariffs are reshaping the trading environment and manipulating commodity markets. The legal requirement to reduce GHG is forcing shipowners to adopt new untried technologies each with their own unique claim profiles. And new technologies will increasingly shape trade in and ship operations in ways we cannot yet imagine. The role of insurance is to assume and spread risk so permitting shipowners to accept the risks inherent with new technologies and trading environments. But if we are to do so at commercially acceptable rates we need  to understand these new risks and socialise them with legislatures. The right to limit liability is a key component to effecting this transition but before apportioning risk and a key component of IMO legislation. There is not a moment to lose. We need to get started…”

Presenter: Helen Barden, Director – External Affairs, NorthStandard

17.00-18.00

Closing Remarks and Drinks Reception in the Upper River Room