Throwback Thursday: Oil slick unpicked; BSE liability

Throwback Thursday

Insurance Post’s Throwback Thursday steps back in time to May 1990 to remind you what was going on this week in insurance history: an oil slick off the Devon coast and Commercial Union was feeling under the weather.

24 May 1990: £2m bill for Devon slick

Liability bills from the UK’s worst oil slick for more than 20 years should not exceed £2m, the insurers involved told Post’s Gavin Souter.

About 1,000 tonnes of Iranian crude oil had just spilled into the sea off the Devon coast after Liberian tanker Rosebay collided with Brixham fishing trawler Dionne Marie.


CU feeling under the weather

Commercial Union, now part of Aviva, was pushed into the red by the storms of January and February 1990.

The storms cost the insurer £55m, resulting in first quarter losses of £25.6m compared with £45m profits for the same period in 1989.


BSE fails to produce stampede

Post reported the “mad cow disease” crisis had not yet brought a stampede of claims from farmers, meat suppliers and food retailers.

John Murray of NFU Mutual pointed out product liability was difficult to establish due to the nature of bovine spongiform encephalopathy symptoms.

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@postonline.co.uk or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.postonline.co.uk/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@postonline.co.uk to find out more.

Insurance risks of Labour’s housebuilding plans

The latest Insurance Post Podcast covers the insurance implications of Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes in five years – a target that raises major questions around construction safety, cost inflation, and long-term resilience.

Air India crash claim could reach around £150m

The fatal crash of Air India flight AI171 on Thursday (12 June) is expected to cost the insurance industry more than $200m (£147.2m), more than the direct written premium for aviation in India, according to analysts GlobalData.

Most read articles loading...

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have an Insurance Post account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account here