Friday 17th November 2017, Colombo: Amãna Takaful (ATL) recently celebrated World Fisheries Day, which fell on November 21st, by highlighting the benefits of its ‘Samudra Shakthi’ insurance cover for both small and large-scale fishermen and commercial fishing companies. ATL has a rich history that spans over 18 years, and the company has been a pioneer of the ‘Takaful Way’, offering trusted insurance solutions to its customers from all walks of life.
ATL’s ‘Samudra Shakthi’ cover is designed to offer protection that covers all types of marine boats, except those without engines. Irrespective of the life span or expected durability of a particular boat, ATL will offer its insurance cover to any fisherman or fishing company (regardless of the size of their operation), providing them with comprehensive covers for both their boats and engines. The company has an extremely quick claims procedure and has fulfilled a total of Rs. 20 million worth of claims in 2017 alone. ATL also has a deep-rooted understanding of the needs of the fishing community. The company takes pride in providing guidance to fishermen across the island and focuses on delivering reliable micro-insurance covers that help Sri Lanka’s fishing community, meet with their specific insurance needs.
Fazal Gahfoor, CEO – Amãna Takaful at one of the claiming event for the fisherman’s
Over the years, ‘Samudra Shakthi’ has become a source of protection and information to fishermen across Sri Lanka, and aside from providing high-value insurance covers, ATL also highlights the importance of sustainability in the fishing industry. Each year, World Fisheries Day is celebrated to draw attention to overfishing, habitat destruction and other serious threats to the environment that may be caused due to companies and small-scale fishermen, that may be over-taxing marine resources. ATL continuously strives to highlight the need to operate fishing businesses in an environmentally-friendly manner, especially since the fisheries and aquaculture industry employs more than 43 million individuals worldwide, and over 25% of the world’s dietary protein is provided by fish. A recent United Nations report, reiterated that two-thirds of the world’ fisheries have collapsed or are currently overfishing. As part of its insurance cover, ATL not only offers protection for various threats that may impact a fisheries business, the company also encourages its clients to run environmentally-sound operations that reap profits without harming the planet and ocean resources.
Commenting on the ‘Samudra Shakthi’ cover, Fazal Gahfoor, CEO – Amãna Takaful said: “The ‘Samudra Shakthi’ cover is designed to offer fishermen and larger scale fishing companies, the peace of mind that they need to effectively run their businesses. Whilst we always encourage our clients to consider their impact on the planet, we also strive to provide them with insurance covers that will protect them against a wide-range of circumstances such as marine accidents and collisions, damage to boats or trawlers as a result of natural disasters or the impact of poor weather conditions on their vessels. We try to offer our customers speedy inspections and damage assessments, a seamless process when it comes to submitting documentation and the quick delivery of claims with minimal hassle. Professionalism, reliability and excellence in customer care are the cornerstones of our services and policies, and we do our very best to ensure that businesses who are facilitating the sustainable growth of the fisheries industry, have the peace of mind, confidence and added protection that they need to run their operations.”
ATL’s ‘Samudra Shakthi’ insurance cover is widely used by customers across the island, from areas such as; Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Beruwela, Ambalantota, Negombo, Puttalam and Mannar. Customers from Mulathivu, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Kinniya, Muthur, Batticoloa, Kalmunai and Akkrapattu also rely on the cover for added protection.
ATL continues to be at the forefront of the insurance industry in Sri Lanka and caters to all segments of customers. The Takaful way of insurance operates on the concept of bringing people together to be part of a system that gives them the opportunity to help each other. Since its inception 17 years ago, ATL has been successful in establishing a strong position for the concept of Takaful amidst competition from established conventional players. As the pioneering Takaful provider in Sri Lanka, ATL operates 27 branches and is set to expand further to better serve its loyal customer base across the country. ATL continuously reaches out to customers from all segments of society and offers innovative and state-of-the-art insurance products that are convenient, affordable and reliable. As part of its commitment to remain ‘open to all’, ATL serves all communities and employs a multi-ethnic team across its network.