West P&I Club and C Solutions Launch Qwest
Strategic partnership between West and thriving maritime legal and claim consultancy C Solutions will deliver innovative products and services to support ship operators
London, 24 June 2020 – The West of England P&I Club and C Solutions have today announced the launch of Qwest, a joint venture between the two parties.
Qwest will offer responsive and fully scalable legal advice and fee cover structure for shipowners, operators, and charterers, as well as specialist cover for ship managers who do not have access to the benefit of an owner’s defence cover.
In addition to legal and claim consultancy, Qwest provides access to a suite of complementary services including forensic accountancy, trade finance, and demurrage handling and recovery. These services will be delivered through a global team that includes Master Mariners, legal counsel, and subject matter experts.
Qwest’s services will be available to both West Members and non-Members alike.
Tom Bowsher, CEO, West of England P&I Club, commented, "Shipowners and operators are facing challenging market conditions with a need to economise wherever possible. Qwest’s range of innovative services is designed to help achieve this, whether on a case-by-case basis or right through to complete outsourcing of back-office functions. They also perfectly complement West’s continued diversification as well as our core products and services, all of which are intended to support maritime operators.”
Bowsher continued, "Over the last 20 years Chris Beesley and his team have worked closely with our claims teams at the West as well as many of our Members. They have a well-deserved reputation for their commercial approach and we look forward to working alongside them on Qwest to provide both West Members and others with the support they need to thrive in today’s complex and competitive market."
Chris Beesley, Group Executive Chairman, C Solutions commented, “We are delighted to be part of the Qwest venture. The West and C Solutions share similar values, and through Qwest we will be able to supplement our insurance, legal, claims and advisory work and leverage both our and the West’s expertise to deliver innovative solutions. We have a clear, shared vision for the development of Qwest, and look forward to working with the West to provide owners, charterers, and ship managers with the counsel they need to overcome their most complex and often persistent challenges.”