Overview
Britannia P&I Club, founded in 1855 as the Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Association, is one of the oldest mutual P&I clubs and a long-standing member of the International Group of P&I Clubs. Headquartered in London, it underwrites about 130 million GT of owned tonnage and a comparable book of chartered entries across bulk, tanker, container, and gas-carrier trades. Britannia is known for tight underwriting discipline, consistent investment returns, and an active loss-prevention programme that produces widely-circulated guidance on cargo claims, navigation incidents, and crew-injury prevention.
Key facts
- Founded 1855, London
- ~130 M GT owned tonnage entered
- International Group member
- Strong in bulk, tanker, container, gas tonnage
- Active loss-prevention publishing arm
Why it matters to seafarers
If your shipowner's P&I cover is Britannia, the club's correspondents — local lawyers, surveyors, and medics — handle the first response to any crew injury, illness, or wrongful-detention claim in port. Masters should keep the Britannia correspondent list (in the SMS or on board) accessible; calling the club directly when something goes wrong is faster than going through the office in a different time zone.