Further to the destruction of the M.V. Gem Star on Monday April 8 by fire, a favorable claim settlement has been reached between the owners Gem Star Shipping Company Ltd, represented by Directors, Mr. Augustine Deroche and Mrs. Anne Deroche and the insurance company, The Beacon Insurance Company Ltd via their agency in St. Vincent, BMC Agencies.
In April 2019, a fire broke out in the lower levels of the Gem Star which was anchored at the Grenadines Wharf in Kingstown. The burning boat was towed to the waters off the reclamation site on the next day, after persons, including members of the local fire service fought unsuccessfully for hours to put out the blaze which eventually burnt itself out. This incident significantly impacted movement of people and cargo to and from the Southern Grenadines. Three months later, the claim has been settled much to the satisfaction of the owners.
The burning boat was towed to the waters off the reclamation site on the next day, after persons, including members of the local fire service fought unsuccessfully for hours to put out the blaze which eventually burnt itself out. This incident significantly impacted movement of people and cargo to and from the Southern Grenadines. Three months later, the claim has been settled much to the satisfaction of the owners.
According to Mr. Keith Boyea, owner of BMC Agencies in St. Vincent, “claims of this size and complexity usually take much longer to settle but we were able to reach a satisfactory settlement within a reasonably short time frame…” The owners of the M.V. Gem Star were also quite pleased with the manner in which the claim was handled, praising Beacon for their expediency in this regard “We think settlement was reasonable and timely and as testimony to this fact, we will continue to utilize Beacon Insurance as our insurers of choice”. With the settlement cheque, the owners will now pursue their next steps in rebuilding the services that were once provided by the M. V. Gem Star “the M. V. Gem Star II signals a vast improvement in services from a standpoint of Capacity, Speed and Comfort and we are delighted to share our new services with our valued customers”.
The owners of the M.V. Gem Star were also quite pleased with the manner in which the claim was handled, praising Beacon for their expediency in this regard “We think settlement was reasonable and timely and as testimony to this fact, we will continue to utilize Beacon Insurance as our insurers of choice”. With the settlement cheque, the owners will now pursue their next steps in rebuilding the services that were once provided by the M. V. Gem Star “the M. V. Gem Star II signals a vast improvement in services from a standpoint of Capacity, Speed and Comfort and we are delighted to share our new services with our valued customers”.