MHG celebrates 30th anniversary

Fort Lauderdale-based marine insurance company MHG Insurance turns 30 this year, and is marking its anniversary with a new office and fresh logo. 

Since opening in 1991, MHG has insured tens of thousands of captains, officers, and crew. Founders Andrew Dudzinski and John Haagensen launched MHG as cruise lines needed new ways to attract and retain their officers and crew. Dudzinski, with a background in expatriate insurance programs, and Haagensen, a former seafarer and practicing insurance agent, saw the solution in creating and providing customized crew benefits plans. They combined their experience and contacts to convince the industry that seafarers are better motivated, remain more loyal, and work more safely when a benefit plan is provided as part of an employment package.

“While hesitant at first, the cruise lines listened, and once the competitive advantages were understood, benefit plans were implemented by many lines,” said Dudzinski, MHG’s chairman and CEO. “Other marine industry sectors, such as luxury yachts and commercial shipping, followed soon after.”

Three decades on, MHG has developed crew benefit programs for the maritime industry as well as liability and casualty coverage for ship repairers, contractors, entertainers, and cruise concessionaires, in addition to hull and P&I insurance for pleasure craft.

In 2017, MHG released a report on the cruise industry’s shipboard benefits provision, which has been updated and released to clients every other year.

On the yacht side, MHG provides yacht crew insurance to hundreds of yachts, including 20% of the world’s top 100 largest yachts. In 2018, MHG partnered with the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) to investigate wellness issues specific to the yachting industry. The survey findings were shared with the industry and highlighted the need for mental health awareness.

“We’re so proud of the achievements and lasting impact that we have made in the marine industry,” said Mark Bononi, MHG’s chief revenue officer. “While we have successfully introduced and made crew benefits more mainstream in the industry, our work is not done. We will continue to be at the forefront of developing and implementing a full range of crew benefits solutions, all designed specifically for the marine industry.”

MHG, with offices in the U.S. and Europe, is experienced in the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) and developing MLC-aligned crew insurance solutions. 

As part of its 30th anniversary, MHG has updated its logo and is moving its U.S. offices a few blocks west to 1800 S.E. 10th Ave., Suite 320 in Fort Lauderdale (33316).

For more information, visit mhginsurance.com.