Seabright Sold

Enstar Group Limited (Nasdaq:ESGR) and SeaBright Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SBX)  jointly announced August 27th that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Enstar will acquire SeaBright for $11.11 per share in cash. The purchase price represents a 34.3% premium over SeaBright's closing stock price today of $8.27.

Seabright Holdings is the parent of Longshore and WC Insurer Seabright Insurance Company and MGA “Pointsure”.

According the their joint press release the acquisition is currently expected to close in the first quarter of 2013.

Read the full press release on Seabright’s website at http://investor.sbxhi.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=702618

OSHA "Tool Shed" directive for marine cargo handling

WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on August 10th 2012  issued a revised directive* providing enforcement guidance for inspections of Longshoring operations and at marine terminals, also known as the marine cargo handling industry. The directive is aimed at eliminating workplace hazards in the industry by addressing updated requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) and the safe operation of Vertical Tandem Lifts (VTLs).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, seven workers died and more than 2,900 were injured performing marine cargo handling operations in 2010. OSHA is committed to reducing and eliminating these worker injuries, illnesses and fatalities by conducting focused interventions in the industry.

The new "Tool Shed" directive is available at http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=DIRECTIVES&p_id=3349

CMIP Seminar - Houston,TX - October 15-16, 2012

St. Petersburg, FL, - LIG Marine Managers' sister company, LIG Educational & Consulting Services, in conjunction with the International Institute for Marine Insurance Studies, announces the next 2012 CMIP Seminar for those individuals working towards earning the Certified Marine Insurance Professional (CMIP) Designation.

The CMIP Designation is designed for agents, brokers, CSRs, Insurance Company Personnel, Underwriters or other insurance industry professionals who wish to expand their knowledge of the Commercial Marine Insurance industry. The CMIP Designation requires attendance at four 1½-day Seminars and successfully passing a short exam at the end of each Seminar.

The next CMIP Seminar, "Insuring Marine Employees", is being held October 15-16, 2012 in Houston, TX at the Sheraton North Houston Hotel. Topics for this dynamic seminar include "various exposures to Marine Employees" with practical "How to Guides" on properly insuring them, the essential policies and programs available to this sector, and delving into the tricky issues of "Payroll Allocation, Officer and Owner Exclusions, Common Endorsements: advantages/disadvantages, and Auditing techniques."

The speakers for these seminars include:
Ian Greenway, LIG President - Insuring Marine Employees

Richard Wood, Chief Operating Officer, Signal Mutual Indemnity Association - Mutuality in Longshore and P&I

Kenneth Baldwin, Chief Underwriting Officer, Travelers
- Protection & Indemnity

For more information and to REGISTER ONLINE, visit www.IIMIS.org

If you need further assistance, please contact Karen Tischler: KLT@LIGMarine.com or (415) 690-6214.

Recreational Marine Regulations. “Sinking the Marine Industry” ?

WASHINGTON:  Congressman Allen West (R-FL) chaired a hearing yesterday,  July 12th, entitled “Sinking the Marine Industry: How Regulations are Affecting Today’s Maritime Business” as part of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Regulations . 

West’s constituent, Kristina Hebert, Chief Operating Officer, Ward’s Marine Electric, Inc,. in Fort Lauderdale, testified on behalf of the United States Superyacht Association. Hebert, said  “The new rules have created confusion in both the recreational marine repair industry and the insurance industry,” Hebert said. “The misapplication of the exemption brought thousands of workers under the duplicative coverage or even worse left them without any coverage at all. For these reasons, the rulemaking seriously missed the mark and will serve only to cost American jobs and drive economic activity offshore.”

Congress are at least listening to the concerns of the Marine Industry

For more information from Congressman's website and links to the written testimony and video go to http://allenwestrepublic.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/rep-allen-west-statement-sinking-the-marine-industry-how-regulations-are-affecting-todays-martime-business/

MEL Mononline Market Changes

Over the last few months two significant players in the MEL market have stopped writing.   One stopped everything and the other just MEL.     Whilst there are still approximately 20 or so underwriters of monoline MEL today in London and the US, these two had significant shares of the market and so we expect to see some shift in pricing in three areas:

1.            The high risk, hard, heavy "working" MEL - here pricing will go up.

2.            The very low hazard "if any" type of risk where minimum premium are rising.

3.            Risks which were perceived by one of the departing markets as "soft"/low risk accounts, which other underwriters might see as hard

The first of these will be very much dependent on the account, but do expect more detailed questions on individual claims especially if still open. 

The second may only be a rise of $500 - $1,500, but that could be up to 40% of the premium to a small MEL client.

The third and last are the most critical, in one case recently we have a range of quotes on a CLEAN account where the most expensive was 20 times (yes TWENTY times) the lowest, not due to some rate scale, but the perception of the most expensive underwriter was that it fit into Category 1 and the others considered it a Category 2 account.

As with any market change there are three key issues...

Information - especially detailed claims history, explanation of injuries and detailed status on open claims particularly

Time - turning around the best quote for most, today takes a week - something more if there is missing information up front. 

Market Access - are you covering all the markets?    If you are dealing with London, does your Lloyd's broker regularly access the dozen or so underwriters there that write MEL or do they just regularly go to the same one or two?

This is no longer the quick, easy line it was for many clients.  It will take work and preparation for most.

Want to know more about MEL?   

Watch the Webinar at www.ligmarine.com/Video 

Read the article at LongshoreToolbox.com/Files/What_is_MEL.pdf, or

Attend the Insuring Marine Employees Seminar in Houston in October, for more information go to www.iimis.org/SEMS.aspx

The End of Concurrent Jurisdiction in VA

HB153, ending concurrent jurisdiction in VA  was signed by the governor Friday April 6th and becomes effective July 1st. 2012

See previous post on this blog Mach 1st 2012 for more details or read a full copy of the bill at HB153 

Don’t expect the unions to give up fighting this, but for now it will be law in about 3 months.

The End of Concurrent Jurisdiction in VA?

The Virginia Senate approved a bill Tuesday Feb 28^th under which shipyard workers and longshoremen who suffer serious injuries on the job will no longer be covered through Virginia's workers' compensation program.

HB153, had already passed the House, 70-26, and now goes to the desk of Gov. Bob McDonnell.

The bill would take shipyard workers and other longshoreman out of Virginia's workers' comp program for any injuries suffered July 1 2012, or later.  They would depend solely on the Longshore Act.

Not surprisingly the International Longshoremen's Association opposes the legislation.