The West of England Club had plenty to celebrate as it looked east to open a branch in Singapore.

A reception to mark the launch of a Singapore office coincided with a meeting of the protection-and-indemnity (P&I) club's shipowner directors to sign off the accounts on a successful year.

About 38% of the West of England Club’s insured fleet is Asian, with the mutual’s long-established Hong Kong office being a key operation in both underwriting and claims-handling terms.