Leading marine surveyor Brookes Bell Group is set to become part of the business empire of protection-and-indemnity club manager Thomas Miller.

The two organisations confirm they are in exclusive acquisition talks but a target date has yet to be agreed for completion of any deal.

Brookes Bell, with a staff of more than 100 surveyors, marine engineers, naval architects, fire investigators, metallurgists and other scientists, is a limited liability professional partnership, so a large workforce has to buy into the proposed deal.