What P&I Claims Teams Need From a Salvage Buyer
A useful salvage buyer is not the one with the highest indication. It is the one whose offer survives contact with the file.
5 min read · Updated 2026-02-20
Claims teams evaluating distressed cargo options are not simply comparing prices. They are assessing whether a proposed recovery route can actually be executed, documented and defended later in the claim.
What makes an offer usable
- Confirmation of whether the buyer acts as principal or as an intermediary
- A stated basis for the price — condition assumed, quantity basis, inspection rights
- Realistic removal timing, tied to the vessel or terminal constraint
- Clarity on which party handles clearance, transport and any disposal element
- Evidence of the ability to perform in that jurisdiction and for that commodity
Documentation for the file
Loss mitigation has to be evidenced. That means a record of which buyers were approached, what information they received, what they offered and why a particular route was chosen. A recovery that cannot be documented is difficult to justify to underwriters and to co-assureds later.
Independence and comparability
Offers should be comparable on the same basis. Differences in removal responsibility, payment timing or quantity basis can move an apparently superior offer below a lower one. Normalising them is part of the assessment, not an afterthought.
Human commercial recovery support is available for appropriate marine insurance and P&I cases, including situations that require an outright principal purchase rather than a brokered sale.
Complex cases requiring direct cargo purchase, international remarketing or physical commercial recovery may be referred for human assessment by Pommer & Partners.