NorthStandard has won the Marine Insurer Award at the first ever Saudi Maritime Awards Night, which was held at The Ritz-Carlton in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, 29 January 2026.
The Marine Insurer Award, one of 24 awards presented during the 2026 Saudi Maritime Awards Night, acknowledges NorthStandard’s “distinguished skills in contributing to the development of maritime insurance within the region”. The Club was selected for the award by a six-person judging panel of distinguished maritime industry experts.
Receiving the accolade on behalf of NorthStandard’s Middle East, India and Africa (MEIA) team, Sanchit Dutta, Head of MEIA, commented: “We are honoured to receive the 2026 Marine Insurer Award at the first ever Saudi Maritime Awards. This recognition reflects NorthStandard’s extensive commitment to the region, where we have supported members and brokers with our trusted expertise and reliable solutions for more than 30 years. My sincere thanks go to the entire NorthStandard MEIA team—their skill, dedication and service excellence made this achievement possible.”
Representing approximately 10 per cent of the gross tonnage entered with NorthStandard, MEIA is an important market for the global marine insurer, whose regional membership includes several high-profile Saudi shipping companies. The Club’s dedicated MEIA team comprises over 30 highly experienced lawyers, claims handlers, loss prevention executives and underwriters. Led by Sanchit Dutta alongside Sam Nichols and Paul Watson – who oversee P&I claims and FD&D claims respectively – it supports local members and brokers by offering extensive industry knowledge, service excellence and sector leading loss prevention initiatives.
The Saudi Maritime Awards Night was held under the patronage of H.E Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistic Services & Chairman of the Transport General Authority (TGA), and organised by leading MENA maritime media platform Robban Assafina in strategic partnership with the TGA.
