Miller has appointed Andrew Yarwood as a senior director in its direct marine team, with responsibility for business development and client outcomes across London and international markets.
Yarwood began his career as a claims manager at Britannia P&I Club before spending over a decade as a London market insurance lawyer at international law firms. He joins from Gray Page Intelligence Services, a specialist maritime intelligence firm whose work spans fraud investigations, sanctions compliance and casualty analysis.
Yarwood's background is not common for a broking appointment. Career placement brokers are plentiful in a market where new capacity has pushed hull and machinery rates down up to 10% on blue water tonnage, according to BMS Group's June 2026 London marine market outlook. Yarwood's experience in P&I claims, insurance law and maritime intelligence work sits outside that profile.
Direct marine handles complex individual risks rather than portfolio business, with clients that typically include shipowners, commodity traders, and cargo interests whose exposures cross multiple jurisdictions. Claims in this segment frequently involve disputed facts and contested liability, which draws on a different set of skills from standard placement work.
The operating environment for those clients has shifted materially. Shadow fleet tankers now account for an estimated 10% to 12% of vessels trading internationally, depending on methodology, with Lloyd's List placing the figure at approximately 10%. Sanctions screening that once involved list checks now requires behavioural analysis, since a vessel can pass ownership verification while its operating pattern indicates elevated risk.
Miller's own analysis of the shadow fleet, published in early 2025, noted that the full impact of sanctions measures often becomes apparent only after maritime casualties expose compliance failures, which places greater demands on the due diligence and risk assessment brokers carry out before placement.
For underwriters in this segment, the quality of risk information presented at submission level has become more consequential as sanctions and ownership complexity make standard documentation less reliable on its own.
Nick Summers, head of direct marine at Miller, said Yarwood's experience across insurance, law, commodities and complex investigations makes him a valuable addition as the firm continues to operate across a complex and volatile international backdrop.
Yarwood said Miller's heritage and continuity across international markets made the move compelling.
Miller has made a series of senior direct marine appointments over the past two years, including Nick Lockyer from Marsh, Guy Pierpoint from QBE's British Marine, and Seema Pandey from Mar Risk Services.
