THE Guyana National Shipping Corporation Ltd. (GNSC) which represents the Lloyd’s Insurance Market in Guyana has announced that it has been asked by its Principal Partners, Lloyd’s in London, to officially extend its Marine Surveying Territory to Suriname.

This new responsibility which follows a Network meeting in the Lloyd’s Agency Department, London on July 18 last will see GNSC’s  Insurance Division (or Lloyd’s Agency) automatically extending its territory of  involvement to Suriname.
Managing Director Ag., Mr. Andrew Astwood, commented that management was happy with the appointment which, he said, will contribute to further widening the scope of the Corporation’s business in the region.
“We expect to make Lloyd’s proud of our new involvement which could lead to other territories being added to our portfolio,” he added.
The Guyana National Shipping Corporation Ltd. has been proudly representing the Lloyd’s Insurance Market in Guyana since 1876 (for about 132 years), through its Insurance Division (Lloyd’s Agency). The GNSC is one of approximately three hundred Agents and Sub-Agents around the world.
Meanwhile, Project Manager, Mr. Eion Oudkerk outlined that these Agents usually represent Lloyd’s in their own country. He however said, it is not unusual for Lloyd’s to request an Agent to represent them in neighbouring countries.
And Astwood said the move by Lloyd’s, has no doubt come about because of the exemplary service the Insurance Division has been providing over the years as their Agent in Guyana. Moreover, because of the mandatory Cargo Claims Surveys Proficiency Exams, Lloyd’s requires its agents to take. Personnel within the Insurance Division have not only passed their Stage 1 Exam but also the Stage 2, he added.
Another contributory factor to the green light being given to extending the GNSC’s territory, the Project Manager said, is the surveying activity in which the Division has already been involved, for a number of years, in carrying out surveys in both Suriname and French Guiana. This became necessary when both the Agents in Suriname and French Guiana were asked to cease operations for particular reasons.
The surveys carried out in these countries ranged from simple pilferage to carrying out investigations to damaged piers and sunken boats with on-board cargo and the division intends to carry-on delivering this special service.
Although the above mentioned visits to carry out surveys in Suriname were being done from time to time, a special visit by a team which included the Insurance Executive was made to Suriname recently to market the services of the Corporation more extensively. The visit included meetings with; consignees, ship agents and the Maritime Authority of Suriname. Speaking with personnel from these various categories of businesses allowed the team to gather valuable information to use for increasing its market-share of business activity in Suriname.
Meanwhile, follow-up visits to Suriname in the near future have been planned, to further enhance the process of GNSC’s (Lloyd’s Agency) service provision.