In this issue of The Field, we look at one of the key components of the service provided by the P&I Clubs, the local correspondent. In addition to looking at their history and role in our operation, the CEO of Spica Services, Dughall Aitken, one of our correspondents, shares some of their experiences and how the local correspondent's unique, local knowledge can be of assistance. What is a correspondent? The genesis of correspondents The global nature of both the shipping and offshore industries means that a club's assureds can find themselves in difficulty off almost any coastline. While clubs all now have a number of branch offices, which was not always the case, it is impossible to have an office in every port around the world. How, then, do we provide support and assistance to owners who find themselves in difficulty at a port where we do not have a base? The solution of using correspondents was arrived at relatively early in the history of P&I insurance, with records suggesting the first one was appointed by a club around 1875. Nowadays, each club has its own worldwide network of correspondents, each of whom can be contacted by the club and masters of vessels alike to provide local advice and knowledge when ships get into difficulty within their jurisdiction. What is a correspondent? Despite sometimes being characterised as "Agents", in strict legal terms the relationship between clubs and their correspondents is far less formal than that. Typically, no continuing contract of any sort, far less one of agency, exists. Correspondents are instructed by the club as and when necessary, and are typically paid in relation to the services provided as any other contractor would be. They are, however, vetted, scrutinised and trusted advisors upon whom clubs and their assureds can count to provide prompt, proper advice on a variety of different matters. Nowadays, there are a number of firms of professional 'correspondents', who do work for several clubs, or in some