Let's be brutally honest here ... ships are probably something that you're not really aware of unless you live within sight of a major river or near a dockyard.
That’s the problem with shipping. We’re only really aware of ships when we’re on a ferry, on a cruise liner, or when they hit the news.
But, just for a moment, take a glance around your office, home, or factory. A very large percentage of everything you can see will have arrived in the UK on a ship. In fact, 95% of the worlds trade is carried by sea.
“My stock phrase when I speak to anyone about the marine industry is
no shipping, no shopping,” said Kate Gillespie from NorthStandard. She’s aiming to develop the wealth of talent and experience at NorthStandard to provide the certainty to keep world trade moving.
Quick bit of background
NorthStandard is a Newcastle-based company which, in a nutshell, insures ships. The company was formed in 2023 from a merger between North P&I Club (P & I stands for Protecting and Indemnity) and Standard Club, both clubs with their own centuries old history dating back to the 1800’s. The merger has made NorthStandard the second largest P&I organisation in the world. They’re based on the Newcastle Quayside with a global footprint that spans the world and offices covering all main shipping regions, including Asia (China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan), Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Europe (UK, Ireland and Greece), and the USA.
“One of the problems we face is that people aren’t aware of what we do,” adds Kate. “It’s only when we start using figures as an example, that they realise just how important the marine industry is to everyone. We insure, in some shape or form, approximately 260 million gross tonnes (this is the metric the P&I industry uses to measure the vessels they insure) worldwide across all sectors.
We also play a major role in the International Group of P&I Clubs which is an association of underwriting clubs insuring around 90% of the world’s vessels. From big ships like oil tankers and dry bulk carriers, to smaller vessels like fishing boats and specialist craft NorthStandard provides the reassurance, confidence and certainty of an insurer who has covered, experienced – and managed – the best (and worst) that shipping has brought to the world.
From when you get up in the morning, have some fruit and cereal, hop into your car, turn on a computer or TV, and operate some machinery, there’s a very strong possibility that all of it will have arrived by ship.”
Kate is leading a brand new initiative in her role as Head of NorthStandard Academy.
“I’m creating a training pathway which allows everyone at NorthStandard see how they can progress and develop within their role. It’s something which applies to every P&I business but we are especially keen to attract people from the North East. We’re based in this region and want to encourage as many people from the North East to get involved in the marine industry.
The training academy pathway will allow people to enter at the bottom and work their way up. People who’re already in the P&I organisation can enter further along the pathway. We’ll be going to schools, colleges and universities to explain precisely what we do and hopefully encourage students to find out more and see the marine industry as a future career. The pathway will show how they would progress. It will also show how the various cogs within the marine industry make the whole machine work.”
The NorthStandard Academy will help people understand the marine industry language, Kate and her team will do that by having internal sessions at the NorthStandard offices, but will also be heading out to go on board ships to get some hands-on experience and see how a ship functions. The academy will also show the various roles which keep the marine industry moving.
Earlier this month, the Academy team took 20 NorthStandard colleagues on a whistle stop tour of the complexities of the shipping industry and the crucial role of P&I associations play in keeping world trade moving, culminating with a ship visit, courtesy of DFDS.
One attendee commented: “Seeing the real thing has brought the shipping industry alive and has made me feel more passionate about working in the club. We are all making a difference in our own ways.”
If you want to find out more about NorthStandard, P&I insurance, and how to become an important cog in a vast shipping machine that keeps the world shopping visit north-standard.com or search ‘NorthStandard’ on LinkedIn