Catlin Joins With Natural History Museum to Present Major Carol Reef Exhibition

Catlin Group Limited ('CGL'; London Stock Exchange), the international specialty property/casualty insurer and reinsurer, has joined forces with the Natural History Museum in London to present a major exhibition, which opens today, that explores the importance and beauty of the world's coral reefs.

The exhibition, 'Coral Reefs: Secret Cities of the Sea', includes 250 specimens from the Natural History Museum's coral, fish and marine invertebrate collection. The exhibition also features a live coral reef with 40 fish species and 26 species of coral, and visitors will be offered an opportunity to travel to some of the world's most famous coral reefs through a panoramic virtual dive with the Catlin Seaview Survey.

Now in its fourth year, the Catlin Seaview Survey is a series of scientific expeditions utilising pioneering underwater imaging technology to study the changes occurring to coral reefs, one of the most distinctive features of our planet's oceans. Catlin sponsors ocean science research – including the Catlin Seaview Survey and the Catlin Arctic Survey (2009 to 2011) – to collect impartial, freely available data that will increase scientists' understanding of changes to our oceans and how these changes could affect future generations.

Although corals can appear rock-like, they are actually colonies of tiny animals that are related to jellyfish but with limestone skeletons that create the rocky seascapes. Corals are highly sensitive to changes in the ocean, such as temperature, pollution and acidity. Coral reefs and the enormous variety of life they host can act as early warning signals that can alert us about conditions in the ocean.

Stephen Catlin, Chief Executive of Catlin Group Limited, said:

"For years, the beauty of coral reefs was largely appreciated only by those able to visit the reefs first-hand. Besides compiling important scientific data, the Catlin Seaview Survey has captured unique underwater images that allow anyone anywhere to explore a variety of coral reefs around the world. Visitors to 'Coral Reefs: Secret Cities of the Sea' will be able to learn much more about coral reefs and how the Catlin Seaview Survey is increasing our understanding of them."

Dr Ken Johnson, coral reefs researcher at the Natural History Museum, said:

"We admire the beauty of coral reefs, but we often overlook just how vital they are for the everyday lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Not only are they home to a diverse range of life, but reefs provide valuable food, income and coastal protection.

"Coral reefs are complex cities of the sea, with inhabitants playing differing roles and together, maintaining the health of these amazing ecosystems even as accelerating human impacts threaten them worldwide".

'Coral Reefs: Secret Cities of the Sea' will be at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London, until 13 September 2015. More information is available at www.nhm.ac.uk/coralreefs.

For more information contact:

Media Relations:

James Burcke,
Head of Corporate Affairs, London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7458 5710
Mobile: +44 (0)7958 767 738
E-mail: James.Burcke@catlin.com

Investor Relations:

William Spurgin,
Head of Investor Relations, London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7458 5726
Mobile: +44 (0)7710 314 365
E-mail: William.Spurgin@catlin.com

Notes to editors:

Catlin Group Limited, headquartered in Bermuda, is an international specialist property/casualty insurer and reinsurer that underwrites worldwide through six underwriting hubs. Catlin shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: CGL). More information about Catlin can be found at www.catlin.com.

Catlin has established operating hubs in London, Bermuda, the United States, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Canada. Through these hubs, Catlin works closely with policyholders and their brokers. The hubs also provide Catlin with product and geographic diversity. Altogether, Catlin operates more than 50 offices in 25 countries.

Catlin's underwriting units are rated 'A' by A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's.

Catlin is the title sponsor of the Catlin Seaview Survey, a major scientific expedition that is documenting the composition and health of oceans, particularly coral reefs, around the world. Since 2012 the Survey has documented more than 650 kilometres of reefs in 22 countries and taken more than 500,000 panoramic images of these reefs. The 2015 Survey is focusing on coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. The impartial scientific data gathered by the Catlin Seaview Survey is intended to strengthen the understanding of how changes beneath the oceans' surface are impacting the rest of our planet. More information is available at www.CatlinSeaviewSurvey.com.

The Natural History Museum in London welcomes more than 5 million visitors a year and is also a world-leading science research centre. Through its unique collection and unrivalled expertise it is tackling the biggest challenges facing the world today. It helps enable food security, eradicate disease and manage resource scarcity. It is studying the diversity of life and the delicate balance of ecosystems to ensure the survival of our planet. For more information go to www.nhm.ac.uk .