An incorrect email address has ended up costing UK insurer International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) $50,000 on behalf of a shipbroker.

The insurer has advised companies to double-check where they send messages following the incident, involving a request for payment made to a vessel charterer for ice dues and winter surcharges at a Baltic port.

An unnamed broker, acting for the ship's owner, had sent the invoice to an email address starting in "opsclaims@" and not the specific email address detailed in the fixture.