DUAL Europe has opened a new marine underwriting hub in Hamburg, its third in under two years, as part of a broader effort to expand its presence across key maritime markets in Europe. The company previously established marine operations in Rotterdam in 2023 and Genoa earlier this year.
The Hamburg office is led by Klaus Weber, who joins as head of marine, DUAL Deutschland. Weber has more than three decades of experience in marine insurance and has served on the Hull Insurance Working Group of the German Insurance Association (GDV) for 25 years. He has also held roles with IVR, a European inland shipping association, including a two-year term as president.
Underwriters Steffen Thormann and Tereza Alisch join Weber in Hamburg. The team will offer a range of marine insurance products to brokers across the region, including cover for ocean and inland hull, builders risks, cargo and land-based equipment.
DUAL Europe said the Hamburg launch forms part of a strategy to build local underwriting capabilities in major European shipping centres. Marine teams now operate in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.
The development follows other recent initiatives by the firm aimed at growing its specialist lines business. Earlier this year, DUAL Europe launched DUAL Cyber Active Protect, a cyber insurance product that combines cover with preventive security services. Alongside the product, the company set up DUAL Cyber Prevention and Response (DUAL CPR) to provide incident management and prevention support.
Developed in partnership with technology providers Silverfort and Cynet, the cyber proposition is designed to reduce the need for traditional risk questionnaires for small and medium-sized enterprises, with simplified underwriting for more complex accounts.
In a separate move, DUAL Europe also entered the Accident & Health (A&H) market with the appointment of Samia Baliad to lead the new business. Baliad has held senior underwriting roles at AIG Europe France, AXA Corporate Solutions, Chubb Europe and AXA Partners. The A&H division will focus on building a regional team and responding to demand for financial protection against accidents and illness.
DUAL Europe said the marine, cyber, and A&H initiatives reflect a broader plan to increase its footprint in key specialist insurance sectors and support brokers with access to technical expertise across multiple lines.
