two more car carriers delivered – first virtual naming ceremony

ISSUE NO. 16 | NOVEMBER 2012 | PAGE 8 CORPORATE INFORMATION OF THE F. LAEISZ GROUP
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER
CLAIMS AND LEGAL DEPARTMENT
When a casualty occurs,
…ships are in some form of trouble, be it damages to its engines
or hull, crew members are injured or sick, sometimes third parties
come out of nowhere and threaten to arrest or otherwise make
claims against one of the vessels of our fleet, then it is time to
involve our claims and legal department.
The reimbursement of costs and expenses in connection with damages
to vessels’ hull and machinery are now coordinated and prepared
by Stefan Werner. Mr. Werner is in regular contact with brokers
and hull insurers and their representatives to coordinate surveys
and certifications of repair costs. He is also a constant visitor to our
technical department in order to collect all documents necessary to
present a claim to the hull underwriters. As, in almost all cases, the
owning companies of the vessels have to advance the repair costs
and repair related harbour and other expenses, Mr. Werner is always
under pressure to have those monies reimbursed by hull underwriters
as quickly as possible.
Mr. Jens Oesau, head of the operations, deals with all charterers’
and cargo claims lodged against one of our vessels. In this respect
his task is to get in contact with the P&I Club, coordinate the visit
of P&I Club representatives who board the vessel and assist master
and crew in dealing with and defending claims or potential claims.
Mr. Oesau also oversees ongoing negotiations with claimants for settlement
of claims in responsibility.
Another aspect of P&I claims, the personal injury claims are dealt
with by Mathias Kroh. Unfortunately, lately Mr. Kroh was quite busy
with coordinating the treatment and repatriation of injured or sick
seafarers. Sometimes, sick or injured crew members have to be left
in the hospital in a port of call or even a deviation of a vessel has to
be considered in order to get professional medical assistance to a
crew member in need. Mr. Kroh is coordinating all those matters with
our crewing and operational department as well as the P&I Clubs.
If claims cannot be settled amicably quickly or claims dimension
threaten to be at a higher level, Andreas Landgraf is involved and
gets in touch with the defence insurer and lawyers and coordinates
the collection of all information that are necessary to either defend
or pursue a claim.
Apart from the insurance tasks, Mr. Landgraf and Mr. Kroh also
form the legal department and are dealing with the day-to-day legal
From left to right: Mathias Kroh, Andreas Landgraf,
Stefan Werner, Jens Oesau
matters of our group, be it reviewing or drafting contracts or answering
requests of the various departments in connection with legal
matters. In particular when it comes to the sale and purchase of
vessels, the legal department is responsible for the processing of
these contracts, i.e. reviewing and drafting of delivery documents,
and dealing with flag state authorities. Mr. Kroh has established
a very good working relationship with authoritative bodies not only
in Germany but also with Liberian and Gibraltar authorities, which
helps to ensure smooth transactions.
Every fortnight on Thursdays, the insurance department meets with
our managing director, Mr. Harald Schlotfeldt and reports on current
cases. With these meeting it is ensured that everybody is up-to-date
with ongoing claims.
As a summary, it should be noted that both the insurance and legal
department can not deal single-handed with the claims or tasks at
hand, but need the close cooperation of all departments ashore as
well as onboard our vessels. So far, the “teamwork” is very satisfactory
and we hope that this remains the case in the time ahead of us.
BOOK REVIEWS
Hans Georg Prager,
„Tsingtau/Qingdao“
Deutsches Erbe in China
Published by ARES Verlag, 2011
ISBN: 978-3-902475-93-0
Tsingtao is the only German-like city built in Asia. In the People‘s
Republic of China it is a role model for precise planning and urban
development, free of real estate speculation. The classy buildings
generally enjoy the protection of historic buildings and monuments
and are well maintained.
The author is able to present the exciting history of Tsingtao and to
integrate the legacy of the former German lease territory Kiautschou
with the rise of today’s China with its fascinating culture and history.
Matthias Gretzschel und Michael Zapf
„Am Anfang war das Schiff“
Das Internationale Maritime Museum Hamburg
Published by Koehler Verlag, 2012
ISBN: 978-3-7822-1055-3
In the beginning there was two-inch model of a coaster motor vessel.
Today the collection of Professor Peter Tamm, former CEO of the
Axel Springer Verlag, covers over 40,000 miniature ships and 1,000
large models, including rarities from gold, silver and amber, as well
as the largest private collection of bone ships worldwide. Furthermore
there are paintings, globes, charts, compasses and much more in
this museum. Author Matthias Gretzschel introduces the donor and
founder of the International Maritime Museum and its impressive
collection with numerous photos from Michael Zapf.
PUBLISHED BY:
Reederei F. Laeisz G.m.b.H.
Phone: +49 40 36808-229 · Fax: +49 40 36808-257
E-Mail: boehm@laeisz.de · www.laeisz.de · Design & Layout: www.matrix-design.com