Established in Huelva since 1880
Fernando Suárez opened the firm in Huelva in 1880. In 1927 his direct descendant Juan Suárez took over and the house became Hijo de Fernando Suárez. It is run today by José Carlos Fernández, Juan Suárez’s great-grandson, under HIFESU P&I Services, S.L.U.
From steamship lines to P&I
In its first decades the house worked with the steamer lines running to England, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy and the Americas. Among the lines it worked for were Royal Mail Lines Ltd of London, MacAndrews & Co, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company and Holland America Line.
In those years it also dealt with customs formalities, chartering, imports, exports, transits and insurance, and held the Vice Consulate of Norway in Huelva until 1970.
The trade changed; the local knowledge did not. Today the company works exclusively as a P&I correspondent and marine surveyor, attending claims for Clubs and their members in the Port of Huelva. It does not provide ship or port agency services.
Huelva port in the early 20th century
Photographs from the port’s archive, covering the years the house worked through.
How we work
We live in the port
Attendance does not depend on someone driving down from another city. That is the whole point of a local correspondent.
We answer at any hour
The duty mobile is answered nights, weekends and holidays. Incidents at a chemical berth rarely happen on a Tuesday morning.
We report in plain English
Reports are written to be used by a claims handler: what happened, what was found, what it means for the claim, with the evidence attached.
We stay inside the Club’s rules
We work to the International Group’s Guidelines for Correspondents, and declare anything capable of being read as a conflict before accepting instructions.
Instructing us
Call the office, or the duty number outside working hours.