Protection and Indemnity insurance, or "P & I" as it is usually called, was originally created by and for the Owners of vessels. Around 1840 new Legislation imposed ever increasing liabilities upon shipowners. These liabilities are mostly in respect of crew, passengers and cargo. In one form or another many Owners then decided to "pool" these liabilities and to share the corresponding risks on a "mutual" basis. Thus the P & I Clubs were formed.

As long as the majority of P & I Clubs will be part of the International Group of P & I Clubs it is only logical that the traditional cover provided by each of them will be very similar, or at least comparable. Nevertheless P & I Clubs are different in their approach on typical Underwriting matters, or services in general, and it is our job to know and guide our clients.

Over the years the shipping world has changed dramatically and shall no doubt continue to do so in order to meet the ever changing demands of international trade. As we all know there are many types of ships operating in specific trades.

This specialisation has resulted in different and new contractual relationships, with their own specific insurance requirements. Most P & I Clubs have responded positively by providing additional covers, or alternatively, decided to define exclusions where they considered risks were of a non-mutual nature. A real problem for the pioneers in new developments, but at the same time certainly an area where Post & Co (P&I) B.V. has taken an active part by demonstrating their specialist skills to identify risk areas and to work on appropriate solutions. On behalf of our clients many special clauses or specific insurance covers were developed in close co-operation with the P & I CLUBS as well as LLOYD's and some well-known Insurance COMPANIES around the world.