Beacon No. 1 2004 - Skuld

In the last issue of Beacon we presented our
Copenhagen office. Now the time has come
for a presentation of Skuld Hellas and of
one of our local members, Target Marine.
Skuld Hellas
– local expertise for
By Ingeborg S. Berge, Skuld, in Piraeus, Greece
Skuld Hellas was established in 2000 due to the heartfelt need for a dedicated office closer to the
Greek shipping community. We wanted to serve the Greek and Cypriot members in a better way,
and there was an eagerness to play a more active role in this dynamic and challenging market.
Closeness to members
– We are very well acquainted with the
Greek Shipping Community, says Lily
Karaiscos-Samellas, head of Skuld’s
Piraeus office. – Closeness to members
means more flexibility and an added value
for the member. Our service shall be
flexible, and when required, tailor-made to
the needs of each member. This is
achieved by maintaining a very good
working relationship with our members
and by always keeping open the channels
of communication.
– We want to gain members’ trust so that
they can lean on us and have confidence
that we will sort out their problems in the
quickest and most effective way. In the
four years that our office has been open,
feedback from members has been
positive. They appreciate having a full
service office on their doorstep.
The Greek shipping community
Today, Greek shipowners control one of
the world’s largest ocean-going fleets and
the fleet continues to expand. Greek
owners place high priority on fleet renewal
and a record number of newbuilding orders
have been placed.
– The Piraeus office operates within this
highly competitive and demanding market,
which is an inspiring challenge to all of us,
says Mrs. Karaiscos-Samellas.
– Being based locally, you know the unique
qualities of the market and of each single
member. This makes for smoother sailing
as we go about our daily business of
serving members.
A competent staff
Skuld Hellas has a staff of eight with
considerable experience of Greek shipping.
Lily Karaiscos-Samellas, Head of Office, is
born and bred within the local shipping
community. Prior to setting up Skuld’s
Piraeus office in 2000, she was Managing
Director of her familiy business,
Close co-operation between syndicates help to ensure
that members gain from the full experience of the Club.
From left: Egil Gulbrandsen, Oslo, Anders Ulrik,
Copenhagen and Lily Karaiscos-Samellas, Piraeus
a company diversified in ship and cargo
insurance representation, acting as P&I
Clubs’ correspondent, etc.
Underwriting is handled by Athina Sirimi,
a maritime studies graduate from the
University of Piraeus with a Masters
degree in International Transport (Marine
Law & Insurance) from the University of
Wales. Her experience includes insurance
and claims handling with a shipping
company and a local broking firm, before
joining Skuld in 2002.
Claims handling requires legal expertise
and we are well equipped in this respect.
Michael Boje-Larsen and Elina Souli hold
LLM degrees in Maritime Law from the
University of Southampton. Michael is a
Danish lawyer and has been with Skuld
Hellas since it was established in 2000.
Elina is a member of the Athens Bar
Association and has worked in shipping
litigation before she started working for
Skuld. Skuld Hellas’ English Solicitor, Ken
Stewart, has experience from both Skuld
Hong Kong and the head office in Oslo,
before joining the Piraeus office in 2003.
This summer Michael Boje-Larsen will be
returning to Skuld Copenhagen. He will be
replaced by Maria Tierris, a Greek lawyer
and qualified Solicitor, with an LLM degree
from the University of Southampton.
4 BEACON