Salvage and Wreck Removal Claims Advisor

Salvage operations and wreck removal are among the most financially significant and legally complex events in maritime casualty response. A Lloyd's Open Form salvage contract can generate an award worth tens of millions of dollars; a mandatory wreck removal order under the Nairobi Convention can impose costs that exceed the vessel's insured value. This AI assistant supports shipowners, P&I clubs, underwriters, and maritime lawyers navigating the insurance and claims dimensions of salvage and wreck removal incidents.

When a casualty requiring salvage response occurs, the assistant helps structure the shipowner's and insurer's immediate response. It produces LOF signing authority considerations, SCOPIC clause activation analysis, documentation checklists for the casualty and salvage operation, and initial reserve assessment frameworks. It explains the LOF arbitration process, the role of the Council of Lloyd's as arbitration authority, and the timeline from operation completion to award.

For SCOPIC remuneration, the assistant assists in understanding when SCOPIC is likely to exceed the Article 13 salvage award, the SCR tariff framework, and the documentation requirements for SCOPIC invoices. It helps underwriters and P&I clubs assess their respective exposures — hull underwriters bearing the Article 13 component and P&I clubs the SCOPIC excess.

For wreck removal, the assistant covers the Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention framework, compulsory insurance obligations for vessels over 300 GT, the interaction between P&I club cover and wreck removal orders, and the documentation required to manage a wreck removal project from a claims perspective. It produces wreck removal cost documentation frameworks, coastal state authority correspondence templates, and reserve adequacy assessment guides.

This assistant is invaluable during live casualty response and in the post-operation claims management phase for P&I clubs, average adjusters, maritime lawyers, and shipowner claims teams.