Dedication is essential in this business

"In our business, there are no holidays, weekends or bedtime. A damage report can come at any time and a local representative should always be ready for untimely notices. Dedication is essential in this business. In addition, you should always control your nerves because it is a problem-solving job. Even in a very stressful moment, you need to be calm and approach the whole event rationally, not with sudden reactions," said Burcu Berrak, the new General Manager of Atlas P&I, and we talked about Atlas, the service they provide and the tricks of this business, as well as how to exist as a woman in the sector.

Burcu Berrak, General Manager of Atlas P&I, who graduated from Istanbul University Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering Department, stepped into the insurance industry in 2003 after working in the field of maritime transportation in various companies after her graduation. In 2014, Türk P&I Sigorta A.Ş. Berrak, who joined the firm, has been appointed as the general manager of Atlas P&I company since last May. Burcu Berrak also continues to serve the sector as the Vice President of DUIM-MED (IU Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering Alumni Association) and also as the meeting director of the WISTA - Turkey board of directors.

Talking about the establishment of Atlas P&I and its position in the sector, Berrak said, “The history of our company dates back to 2006. Our head office was first established in Istanbul in 2006 and soon after, our first branch was opened in Batumi, Georgia. After the first branch, the second branch was soon established in Constanta, Romania in 2019. Shortly after its founding, our company has managed to be listed as a local correspondent for several major P&I clubs. With the establishment of our new team, we aim to increase our market share and customer potential. Our team consists of seafarers with over 25 years of experience in the maritime industry as long distance and salvage captain, P&I reporter and P&I club claims manager and attorney. Our advantage is that we can support the insurers and ship operators we provide service with, when necessary, technically, with our insurer's point of view. I believe that the perspective we gained from these different perspectives will carry us forward in terms of the diversity of the service we provide.” 

Insurance awareness lags behind Europe

Evaluating the insurance awareness in our country and the rate at which the price is decisive, Berrak said, "We see that the development of insurance awareness in our country is slower than in European countries, due to the fact that it is thought that it is not necessary to take out insurance without encountering a damage, or that the cost of insurance is seen as a wasted expense item, or that the sanctions for taking out insurance are less. . In maritime insurance, ship owners give priority to insurances that must be made compulsory. P&I insurance is compulsory, but boat and machinery insurance is often not seen as a necessity. Our sister company Kuzey Insurance and Reinsurance Brokerage tries to increase the insurance awareness of its customers and organizes in-company trainings on this subject. During the negotiations made during the renewal periods of the policies, the damage/premium ratios of the customers are taken into account directly during the pricing, therefore, care is taken to ensure that the costs of the damages that the customer may encounter during the whole year are low. Kuzey Insurance and Reinsurance company regularly provides necessary advice to its shipowners on loss prevention and reduction.

Compulsory on all ships over 300 GRT

Talking about compulsory and optional insurance products, Berrak said, “P&I insurance in maritime transport, that is, protection and compensation insurance, is a kind of liability insurance and it is a compulsory insurance that should be kept on all ships over 300 GRT since it covers the damages caused by the ships to third parties (environment, passengers, etc.). . To make it easier to understand, the logical analogy of this insurance is land traffic insurance. However, the type of coverage, which is similar to motor insurance in land vehicles and which we call boat and machinery insurance in maritime, is optional. Insurance types such as loss of rental insurance, war and strike insurance, FD&D (Freight, Suraster and Defense Insurance), piracy insurance are optional.” 

Technology and digitalization are both risk and opportunity

Evaluating the effects of technology and digitalization on maritime insurance, Berrak said, “Technology and digitalization can be seen as both a risk and an opportunity. A large proportion of the claims handled by the marine insurance industry are due to human error. Technology can play a large role in reducing these errors. On the other hand, technology will also introduce new and currently unforeseen risks in the operation of autonomous ships. There is an interesting conundrum here: technology can reduce the accident statistics by eliminating the risks caused by the negligence of the seafarers, but it can also bring with it additional risks due to malfunctions that may occur in the technological system or cyber-attack. Technology will also play a key role in damage prevention and mitigation. For example, it will provide us with opportunities such as easier tracking of the transported cargo online and controlling and monitoring the temperature of the cargo during transportation. These new data will also affect the insurance coverage purchased, the type of product and the level of protection provided. In the longer term, fundamental changes will be required in terms of risk assessment, claims management and other underwriting processes.

First class service quality with our experienced team

Berrak, who conveyed the future goals of Atlas P&I, said, “As Atlas P&I, we aim to be the first correspondent to be called in Turkey, Romania and Georgia in order to offer the first class service quality to the service of P&I clubs within the framework of ethical rules with our experienced team in any problem that the ships may encounter. In addition, we plan to open another office in a country where we will offer our local correspondent services in the next five years.” No holidays in our business

Berrak also conveyed the difficulties experienced in the business areas they serve as a local reporter in Turkey, as a company that has competence in areas such as survey, crew, cargo and maritime law, and said, “There are no holidays, weekends or sleeping hours in our business. A report of damage can come at any time, and a local representative should always be ready for untimely reports. Dedication is essential in this job. Besides, since the subject is a problem-solving job, you should always control your nerves. Even in a very stressful moment, you need to be calm and approach the whole event rationally, not with sudden reactions. While doing our job, we should not forget that the people/authorities we are dealing with are only doing their jobs and we should not take the problems personally. It is very important for local reporters to have conciliatory qualities, as local correspondents can act as a mediator between local authorities and ship owners in some damages (such as pollution, wreck events).

International offices

Berrak, who also gave information about Atlas P&I's offices in the international arena and the areas of authority they have, said, "Our surveyors provide service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in our offices in Georgia and Romania. We can also quickly access local lawyers in the countries we serve when legal assistance is required. The fact that we currently have a service network in three countries increases our awareness for the P&I clubs we provide service to.

Young people should be supported for local reporting

Evaluating the development of local reporting in the coming years, Burcu Berrak said, “As local reporting started in ancient times and was achieved by establishing historical relationships (it still continues in this way for most clubs), and it is managed by people with a high average age, young people should also be supported to learn this job. Group clubs have taken a good step in this regard and have been organizing courses for young people on P&I insurance and maritime for years. In addition, today, with the advancement in technology and communication, local correspondents will be expected to provide a more effective and faster service.”

WISTA Türkiye member

Burcu Berrak, one of the active female seafarers of the sector and also a member of WISTA Turkey, talked about being a woman in the Turkish maritime sector. Berrak said, “At the beginning of the 1990s, female students were still not admitted to the maritime faculty whose captains graduated. Istanbul University opened its doors for the first time to female students who want to become seafarers, and professional employment of women on commercial ships was provided by female seafarers, who were the first graduates of Istanbul University Maritime Transportation Management Engineering in 1995, where I also received my undergraduate education. I always carry the pride of graduating from the school that gave the first female graduates in a male-dominated industry. About 28 years have passed since then, but we are still talking about the lack of equality of rights and opportunities for women working in the sector. As seafarers, we do not demand positive discrimination against us. As WISTA Turkey, we provide scholarship and internship support to female students graduating from every school in a sector where we see discrimination against graduates of other schools, where those who graduated from the same school support each other. There were many women who tried to show their existence alone during their university years and in business life, now we have united under the umbrella of the sailor women's association to help and support the young people.”

Women's awareness 30 percent

Evaluating the work of the unions in the sector and the support they give to the women in the sector, Berrak said, “I don't think that the majority of the men in the industry have knowledge about the professional complaints of women, or that they do not take this situation into account even though they have knowledge. In my opinion, those who have awareness on this issue do not exceed 30% of the men in the industry. We are grateful to the male seafarers who are members of our association for their contributions. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Emin Yaşacan, who supported me in this matter and awarded me the position of general manager in my new job.”

TURK MARINEWS