	ferry disaster claims could top mln stg u k insurers could face more than mln stg of insurance claims following the zeebrugge ferry disaster a spokesman for lloyds of london said it could take weeks before the extent of the compensation claims for passengers crew and cargo was known and also before it was known how much if any of the  could be salvaged said david larner of lloyds the hull and machinery of the herald of free enterprise were valued at mln stg and were insured by townsend thoresen s parent company peninsular and oriental steam navigation co plc porl l the vessel was in turn reinsured in the london market with lloyds and various other companies larner said passengers crew and cargo were insured by the standard steam protection and indemnity association one of several owners mutual insurance funds worldwide these were also underwritten by lloyds and other companies larner said claims from passengers could be expected to total at least five mln stg given the number of deaths and the normal level of liability set by the athens convention of of between stg and in case of death ping sources said however that these claims could soar if a court found there was negligence or design faults involved larner said estimates of compensation claims were pure guess work at this time but if the  could not be salvaged the claims would total at least mln stg shares of insurances on the london stock exchange fell across the board in a generally weak market general accident fell p to royal insurance dropped p to and prudential fell p to p and o shares stood at a late p lower on the day reuter 
