Markel has appointed Sjoerd Blomsma to the newly created role of marine risk engineer with immediate effect, the insurer announced on Thursday.
Reporting to Wanshi Lin, head of Singapore, Blomsma will support risk assessment and provide engineering-led insights to Markel’s Asia Pacific marine underwriting teams.
He will also work with Markel’s global risk engineering teams across marine, energy and construction to build a risk assessment and reporting framework, backing underwriters as they weigh new technologies, gauge exposure and spot loss trends, and working with claims teams on complex cases, the specialty insurer said.
A qualified marine engineer and deck officer, Blomsma served as chief officer on heavy-lift vessels and as a master mariner on ship delivery voyages. He later held roles at Solis Marine Consultants, including head of marine warranty services, advising on heavy-lift and oversized cargo transportation projects. His work also covered vessel and barge suitability surveys and casualty investigations into navigation, cargo and machinery incidents for shipowners, charterers and insurers.
“Bringing Sjoerd on board as a dedicated Marine Risk Engineer in APAC represents a significant milestone for our regional marine platform,” Lin said. “His expertise strengthens our ability to provide deeper technical insights to clients and brokers, supporting more informed underwriting decisions and reinforcing our commitment to delivering value beyond traditional insurance.”
The appointment supports Markel’s marine offering across cargo, hull, and marine and energy liabilities, as well as its move into charterers liability and the protection and indemnity (P&I) space, which followed its acquisition of MECO last year.
The appointment follows a run of hires as Markel builds out its Asia Pacific specialty platform. Last week, the insurer named Henry Ang as head of terrorism in Singapore, tasking the former Everest underwriter with growing its political violence and terrorism portfolio across the region. Earlier in June, it launched a fine art and specie unit in Australia, hiring Matthew Stock from 360 Underwriting Solutions to lead the business.
