IOPC Funds and British Marine open joint Claims Submission Office for Marine Honour incident

The IOPC Funds and the insurer of the Marine Honour, British Marine, a QBE brand, have decided to open a Claims Submission Office (CSO) to facilitate the submission of claims for compensation by those affected by the oil pollution damage resulting from the incident, which occurred at Pasir Panjang Terminal, Singapore on 14 June 2024.

Singapore is a Party to both the 1992 Civil Liability Convention (CLC) and the 1992 Fund Convention. It has been confirmed that the oil from the vessel is persistent and that the Marine Honour falls within the definition of ‘ship’ under those Conventions. Therefore, both the 1992 CLC and Fund Convention apply to this incident.

Under the 1992 CLC, the shipowner has strict liability for any pollution damage caused by the oil, i.e. the owner is liable even if there was no fault on the part of the ship or its crew.  However, the shipowner has the right to limit its financial liability to an amount that is determined by the tonnage of the ship. The 1992 Fund Convention provides a second tier of compensation when full compensation for the pollution damage cannot be obtained from the shipowner, or valid claims exceed the shipowner’s limit. Claimants may be individuals, partnerships, companies, private organisations or public bodies, including States or local authorities.

To date, clean-up and response operations following the Marine Honour incident are ongoing. Given the latest information collated, claims relating to this incident are likely to exceed the limit of liability of the insurer under the 1992 CLC. In this light, the shipowner and the insurer of the Marine Honour have taken steps to invoke their right of limitation, and it is likely that the 1992 Fund will be called upon to pay compensation.

The IOPC Funds and British Marine have been working in close cooperation since the incident occurred, and have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at ensuring the effective handling of the incident.  A joint CSO has now been established and a team of local experts and representatives has been appointed to manage the office, which is now open to assist claimants.

Further details about the CSO are available via a dedicated ‘Information for claimants’ page on the IOPC Funds website, which also includes claim forms and general information about the incident and the claims process.

Any claims-related correspondence or questions should be addressed to the CSO below:

Marine Honour Claims Submission Office
100 Pasir Panjang Road
#07-07
Singapore 118518
Tel:  +65 9632 3868 / +65 9018 3030
Email: claims.marinehonour@iopcfundsclaims.org

Further information about the IOPC Funds can be found here: www.iopcfunds.org

Further information about British Marine can be found here: www.britishmarine.com

The IOPC Funds will continue to liaise with key stakeholders and monitor developments closely. The organisation will also communicate any further developments and submit a detailed report to the upcoming session of the 1992 Fund Executive Committee in November this year.