In his latest column, Swapnodeep Mondal, our Group Managing Director of Operations and Shared Services, looks at how Anglo-Eastern’s Claims Desk manages the full lifecycle of claims as a dedicated centre of expertise.
Most people only think about insurance when something goes wrong. At Anglo-Eastern, the Claims Desk exists to ensure that when incidents occur, our seafarers receive the support they need, our owners receive timely recoveries, and every case becomes an opportunity to learn and improve.
In shipping, incidents are an unfortunate reality of daily operations. A crew illness requiring medical treatment ashore, a machinery breakdown, a cargo claim, or a collision can quickly result in significant financial exposure and operational disruption. While the incident itself often receives the most attention, what happens afterwards can be equally important. Prompt notification, accurate documentation, effective communication with insurers, and diligent follow-up can have a significant impact on both the outcome of the claim and the long-term cost of insurance for vessel owners.
To provide a more consistent and professional approach to this process, Anglo-Eastern established the Claims Desk as a dedicated Centre of Expertise responsible for managing the full lifecycle of claims across the fleet. By bringing together claims handling under a single structure, the Claims Desk has introduced common standards, clear workflows, and improved visibility for both shipboard and shore-based stakeholders.
Today, the Claims Desk supports approximately 50% of the Anglo-Eastern managed fleet, covering 368 vessels. As of 30 June 2026, the team was actively managing 107 open claims with a combined gross exposure of USD 11.5 million. During the first half of the year alone, 68 new claims were registered and 25 cases were successfully closed.
Encouragingly, the fleet’s annualised claims frequency currently stands at approximately 0.4 claims per vessel per year, placing it at the lower end of the generally recognised industry range of 0.4 to 0.6 claims per vessel per year. Compared with earlier measurements, this reflects a positive trend and is a credit to both the operational discipline of our crews and the structured support provided ashore. When compared against industry benchmarks such as Gard’s Crew Claims Report 2026, Anglo-Eastern’s claims profile also compares favourably, particularly in relation to crew illness and injury claims.
For our seafarers, the value of the Claims Desk extends beyond administration. Crew-related matters account for the majority of the desk’s active P&I portfolio, including illnesses, injuries, compassionate cases and other people-related claims. Behind every file is a seafarer and often a family relying on the case being handled professionally and efficiently. The Claims Desk works closely with vessel teams, Marine HR, P&I Clubs and insurers to ensure that medical expenses, entitlements and compensation processes are progressed without unnecessary delay, allowing seafarers to focus on their recovery rather than paperwork.
The team’s role is not only to manage claims after an incident has occurred but also to help identify opportunities to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Every claim generates valuable data. Across hundreds of vessels, recurring themes begin to emerge, whether related to injuries, illnesses, machinery failures, cargo operations or other operational risks. By analysing these trends, the Claims Desk can provide valuable insights that support safer operations, targeted interventions and improved risk management across the fleet.
This preventive aspect is becoming increasingly important. The safest claim is always the one that never happens. By learning from incidents and sharing those lessons across the organisation, we strengthen our ability to protect both people and assets.
For owners, effective claims management has a direct commercial impact. Insurance underwriters assess claims history and loss performance over multiple years when determining premiums and renewal terms. Poor claims experience can lead to increased premiums, higher deductibles and more restrictive insurance conditions. Conversely, strong claims performance helps maintain competitiveness and supports more favourable renewal outcomes. In today’s challenging insurance market, where costs continue to face upward pressure, this has become increasingly important.
Technology is also playing an important role in supporting the function. The Claims Desk has deployed an AI-assisted claims query tool built around a curated knowledge base of insurance rules, policy wordings, claims procedures and claims records and histories spanning over decades. While professional judgement remains at the centre of every decision, the technology helps improve consistency, accelerate routine tasks and free up more time for handlers to focus on supporting vessels, seafarers and clients.
What makes the Claims Desk unique is the combination of insurance expertise and operational experience. Sitting within one of the world’s largest ship management organisations provides access to vessel records, technical knowledge, crew information and fleetwide operational insights that help strengthen both claims outcomes and risk management.
Ultimately, the Claims Desk is about more than recovering money from insurers. It is about supporting our people when incidents occur, protecting our clients’ interests, and using the lessons from every case to build a safer, stronger and more resilient fleet.
This article first appeared in LeaderShip, Anglo-Eastern’s quarterly magazine. Read the full September 2026 issue here.
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