Cargo Claims

W K Webster is the world’s leading service provider in the settlement of cargo claims, acting on behalf of marine & transit insurers, and companies that operate their own risk retention programs.

Claim Agent & Third Party Administrator (TPA)

Whatever the style of cargo claim, we provide a prompt and tailored service for the unique needs of each client, irrespective of claims volume. We are proud to assist both well established and start-up insurers, together with any company that has an element of self-insurance or retained risk.

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Claims Service for Insurers

We provide a global solution for the management of marine and transit claims from first notice to final settlement. Our service can be further enhanced to include delegated settlement authority and loss funding where appropriate. At all times we will provide full data analytics and system integrations.

London Market Experts

As a leading marine and transit claims consultancy, W K Webster is an approved Delegated Claims Administrator (DCA) at Lloyd’s. This allows Lloyd’s managing agents to delegate authority to us in order to determine claims on their behalf. Find out more here.

Claims Service for Companies with Retained Risk

We manage all types of transit claims and recoveries for organisations with retained risk, we actively manage claims under Self-Insured Retentions (SIR), Annual Aggregate Deductibles (AAD) and Captive Insurance programs. Our service includes the collection of management information and full data analytics.

Short-Term Claims Management

We can also offer short-term cargo claims management services without notice. This service is often required when clients experience staffing shortages, seasonal volume increases, run-off business, or the influx of claims following a particular incident.

CAT Response Team

Our cargo claims service is structured to provide a responsive program in the event of catastrophic or disruptive incidents. We also offer a CAT notification service and if you wish to subscribe please click here.

Relocation Claims

Our global claims operation also provides a specialised division for the handling and management of household goods and relocation claims. We provide this dedicated service for insurers, relocation brokers, moving companies, relocation management firms and self-insured corporates. To find out more, please click here.

Total Cargo Claims Management

The following is a summary of the key services we provide for cargo claims:

Full Claims Settling Agency and Third Party Administration (TPA) services;
Below deductible claims management and recovery of financial liability from logistics providers;
Industry trained technical experts in marine and transportation;
Global reach via hub office locations and survey agency network;
Multilingual colleagues to ensure seamless communication;
Cultural awareness when dealing with claims;
US licensed adjusters;
Dedicated account managers;
Management Information (MI) with system-to-system integration;
Loss fund account management in multiple currencies;
Delegated authority management;
Global currency settlements by check/cheque or wire;
Full sanction checking (OFAC, OSFI, UN, EU, UK);
Settlement, adjustment and policy coverage advice;
Complex claims team;
Claim mitigation and salvage;
Loss prevention & risk management;
Online claims system from first notice to final settlement;
ISO 27001 certification;
Protection of recovery/subrogation;
Service Level Agreements (SLA) with Key Performance Indicators (KPI);
Access to ClaimsConsole® technology;
All services covered by Corporate Policies and Best Practices;

To find out more or to utilise our services, please click on the instruct us button below.

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Recoveries & Subrogation

We operate the largest in-house marine and transit Recoveries operation in the world with over 40 dedicated recovery case handlers. Our colleagues across the UK, USA, Singapore and mainland Europe consist of lawyers, ex-P&I Club claim handlers, ex-seafarers and a combination of marine/transit practitioners, bringing a combined experience in the field of more than 500 years practice.

Virtually all aspects of a Recovery case can be handled in-house and the need to instruct external law firms or other specialists is kept to an absolute minimum with less than 1% of the cases we handle ever being referred externally - and even then, only for specific targeted roles. We always maintain control of the case to ensure that commerciality prevails.

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We pride ourselves on our ability to continually build upon our core values to ensure clients can derive the most professional and tailored transit claims and subrogation service in the market, delivered with industry leading technology that allows insurers and self-insured clients an unrivalled ability to assess the live performance of their accounts.

Our Recovery technicians deal exclusively with transit claims against opponents and their liability insurers throughout the world, including but not limited to:

Trucking companies;
Railroad operators;
Freight forwarders and transit brokers;
Logistic companies;
Warehouse operators;
Ship owners / charterers & their P&I Clubs;
NVOCC operators;
HAWB & MAWB air carriers;

If you have a new Recovery instruction that you would like us to review and/or handle, please contact us for a no cure no pay assessment of the claim in question using the instruct us button below.

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Cargo Casualty Management

Highly specialised division managing all aspects of marine casualties globally 24/7/365, protecting cargo interests in General Average, Salvage (including Lloyd’s Open Form), terminated and/or interrupted voyages, legal, policy and market advice as well as financial default and piracy.

Services provided by our in-house team of lawyers, mariners, P&I practitioners and average adjusters include the provision of necessary guarantees (subject to agreed terms) and representation of cargo interests where necessary through negotiation, to arbitration or courts, recoveries and defence of General Average where warranted.

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For a list of the latest maritime casualties or to subscribe to our casualty reporting service please click here. If you have a new instruction please use the instruct us button below

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Hull Claims Management Services

HCMS provides a 24/7/365 global casualty response division with teams in London, Singapore and New York providing specialist worldwide marine surveys and emergency response to major incidents including collisions, groundings and salvage cases. We provide strategic legal and nautical advice during emergencies and provide securities if necessary. VDR and AIS analysis and reporting is also available from our technical experts.

We also provide towage quotations and review contracts. We negotiate with authorities for releasing detained vessels and proactively manage major casualties as well as routine claims for H&M, liability, P&I and yacht insurers.

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Our in-house team includes Master Mariners and Lawyers as well as Average Adjusters and can handle all aspects of a maritime casualty from provision of guarantees on agreed terms, to negotiation and if necessary, arbitration and court proceedings.

eCI Service for Casualty Investigations

This is a new service that allows W K Webster to manage casualties, conduct surveys and interview key witnesses in collision, grounding, salvage, fire and Constructive Total Loss (CTL)/Total Loss (TL) casualties via remote video conferencing facilities. The eCI service provides a comprehensive solution to the inability of providing traditional casualty investigations in locations where physical attendance is not possible. To find out more about this service please click here.

US Hull and Marine Liability Claims Service in New York

This new US based Hull and Liability service complements the existing well established offerings provided from the London and Singapore offices and completes the reach of W K Webster’s Hull and Liability Claims service across all three of its hub offices to provide a truly global 24/7 response whenever and wherever the need arises. For more information please click here.

If you have a new HCMS instruction that you would like us to review and/or handle, please use the instruct us button below.

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Ports & Terminals

Ports & Terminals are often the subject of incidents causing loss and damage to their property. Commonly, these incidents arise as a result of vessels coming into contact with port property, including berths, jetties, dolphins, cranes, fenders and other port infrastructure. Damages may be substantial and include sub-sea structural damage. Other incidents may result in inland damage to port property, often by third party vehicles, or by the presence of hazardous materials within port property. Vessels grounding or coming into collision with other vessels within port waters is another source of losses.

Losses include not only physical damage to property, but also business interruption economic losses, for example whilst berths are out of use undergoing repair, and occasionally pollution losses, or even injury or death to port personnel or third-party personnel.

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We act for Ports & Terminals and their insurers to assess and adjust losses, and to recover those losses from responsible vessels, their insurers, or other culpable third parties.

Our Recoveries professionals across our three global hub offices are experienced at pursuing recoveries in respect of Port & Terminal losses. Services include arranging and coordinating surveys at an early stage by specialist surveyors and engineers to ensure that losses are properly evaluated and settled under applicable Ports & Terminals insurance policies. Security is often necessary in respect of such losses, and we have expertise in obtaining suitable Letters of Undertaking from opponent liability insurers so that any agreed or determined liability can be enforced against responsible parties.

If you are involved in such an incident and wish to refer the matter to us for handling, please use the ‘instruct us’ button below.

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Services - Fine Art & Specie

Our international Fine Art and Specie team provides a global claims service for the physical loss or damage of valuables, whether on display, in storage or in transit.

We have adjusters in the UK, US and Asia that are highly experienced in managing losses that arise from risks associated with fine art, general specie, jewellers block and cash in transit.

When dealing with a claim on precious investments, we understand the need for a highly personalised claims service.

If you have a new Fine Art and Specie claim where you need our help, or an account you would like to discuss our appointment as a TPA, please click on the instruct us button below.

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Self-Storage Claims

W K Webster is your trusted Third-Party Administrator (TPA) for the management of Self-Storage protection plan claims. We partner with insurance providers, corporates, captives, and self-storage facilities throughout North America and Europe. We handle over 5,000 self-storage claims annually managed by dedicated teams in the US and UK.

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Our claims staff have language skills to interact and communicate in all major European languages to help with seamless customer engagement.

If you have a Self-Storage protection plan account where you need our help in managing the claims please click on the instruct us button below.

You can also download our Self-Storage protection plan claims flyer here

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Automotive Claims

WKW is involved in several global auto industry accounts. Providing best in class claims service for losses suffered during land transit, sea/ocean voyages, storage/distribution centres, and throughout dealer networks.

The automotive industry enjoys a global customer base with associated supply chain needs. We offer our automotive clients and their insurers the ability to service such supply chain challenges with a truly global TPA service for the management of automotive transit losses.

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Next generation cloud based automotive claims management system with fully customised online tools helps our automotive clients manage both insured and self-insured (SIR) supply chain losses delivering management information data that is connected, customised and secure.

If you have a automotive account where you need our help in managing the claims please click on the instruct us button below.

You can also download our automotive transit claims brochure here

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