Mariners Club Seminar 2018
Fall is a busy time in the Marine Industry in South Florida. The highlight of the season is the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The Show draws boat enthusiasts and professionals in boating related fields to South Florida in staggering numbers. One annual event that is scheduled to coincide with the Boat Show is the Fort Lauderdale Mariners Club Seminar. The Seminar draws insurance claims professionals, agents, brokers and underwriters as well as marine surveyors, admiralty attorneys, and others. The Seminar provides continuing education credits for applicable fields as well.
Chloe Collins, the Director of Administration at TowBoatU.S. Fort Lauderdale was invited to speak at this year’s Seminar. As well as having built a reputation in the industry as a knowledgeable, fair and articulate professional, another of Chloe’s areas of expertise is managing catastrophe response. She has the ability to direct her team to oversee the many moving details of dozens of jobs at once.
Chloe shared the stage with Ron Milardo from Cooper Capital Specialty Salvage. Together they skillfully navigated the audience through the marine salvage and liquidation process. They used examples from recent hurricanes to illustrate what happens from the time a boat sinks until the time it is either disposed of or sold. Highlights included hiring reputable companies with experience and good references. They also highlighted the important task of ensuring that the vessel’s value is not further diminished by the salvor’s efforts. Finally, they pointed out the complications that companies like theirs face during post hurricane operation and stressed the importance of building long term relationships with contractors that can get the job done. Of course there were lots of cool pictures of boats ravaged by hurricane waves and winds which is always entertaining but the message that rang out loud and clear was to build a capable team so when disaster strikes, everyone can get to the important task of helping owners in distress while minimizing exposure to insurance carriers.
Chloe is capable of working through the complex subject of salvage awards with patience while drawing on a wealth of experience amassed from over 15 years of settling salvage claims. Chloe welcomes your inquiries and is always happy to talk salvage. Feel free to call her if you have a case that needs a fresh set of eyes!
