Answer
“The International Group originated in 1899 when six British P&I Clubs formed the London Group and entered into a pooling agreement to share large claims which could not conveniently be borne by one Club alone.”
Over the 20th century, additional P&I clubs from Europe, Japan, the Americas, and Scandinavia joined the pooling arrangement to gain access to collective reinsurance and higher liability limits.
To reflect its global membership and international regulatory role (such as consultative status at the IMO), the association formally adopted the name The International Group of P&I Clubs (IGP&I) in 1982