Claims are looking good, there is a better-than-expected investment return and tonnage is up, so the overall outlook is rather promising.

One of the more detailed pictures about the way the protection-and-indemnity (P&I) year is progressing is provided by the United Kingdom Mutual Steam Ship Assurance Association’s autumn review published this week.

The second biggest of the P&I clubs rang up a $24m surplus through the first half of the policy year, a performance that justified a decision to knock 5% off the deferred call on the 2015 year due to be collected next month.

The