“I love my job. I run a modest, amusing business.”

After beginning his career at 15 as a messenger boy at the West of England P&I Club, our founder Peter Jones found his way to Piraeus in 1976 to work for a local shipowner. He quickly came to believe that Greek shipping would continue to prosper and that Insurers needed an experienced hand who could act as an extension of the Club’s office.

He founded Shipserve (International) Inc. in 1977 with his colleague Sara Schneider. Over the years the company has represented nearly all of the International Group at one time or another along with many other fixed premium and mutual insurers. His misadventures as a P&I correspondent included being arrested in Egypt when arriving to deal with a grounding; taking cover in a Hilton during a coup in Nigeria; and even finding himself trying to negotiate a settlement whilst riding a camel. His common sense, empathy and most of all his good humour meant that he was able to find solutions without demeaning his opponents.

Good company in a crisis or at the bar, Peter’s love of people and of life was in part due to his being born with congenital heart disease. What some may have treated as a liability, he saw as a strength. He refused to allow an illness to dictate the terms and conditions of his life instead developing a formidable strength of character. He made his choices, right or wrong, in spite of his condition, not because of it.

The company he founded has become known for its quality and the Greek Shipping community he so loved continues to trust us with their problems. He handled all his cases with the same three things in mind: the courage to say what you feel and believe; humility; and the ability to understand the other person’s point of view. Today we strive to do the same.

in loving memory of 

Peter Jones

1945-2009