Operations

Marine Cargo Insurance

Goods in transit by road, sea and air

Marine cargo insurance covers goods while they are in transit — by road, sea, air or rail. It applies to imports, exports and domestic movements, and it responds to the physical loss of the goods rather than to a dispute with your carrier.

What it covers

Damage in transit

Loss or damage to goods while being carried.

Loading and unloading

Damage during handling at each end of the journey.

Accident and natural events

Vehicle accidents, sinking, fire, storm and similar events.

Theft and non-delivery

Goods stolen or lost in transit, subject to the cover level chosen.

General average

Your share of a maritime general average contribution.

What to watch for

Damage caused by inadequate packing is excluded — this is the most common declined cause.
Cover levels differ sharply: all-risk and named-perils wordings are not the same product.
Goods left in storage beyond the transit period fall outside the policy.
Some routes and destinations are restricted or need specific agreement.
The cover must be in place before the transit starts; a shipment already moving cannot be insured retrospectively.

Who it is for

Importers, exporters, manufacturers and anyone whose goods regularly move at their risk. Which Incoterm you trade on decides whether that risk is yours in the first place.

What we add as a broker

The two questions that decide a cargo claim are whether the cover was all-risk and whether the packing met the standard. We settle both before shipments start, and for regular traders we set up an open cover so each consignment does not need a fresh negotiation.

Frequently asked

The carrier says they are liable. Do I still need cargo insurance?

Carrier liability is capped by convention and is usually far below the value of the goods. Cargo insurance is what covers the difference, and it pays without you having to establish fault first.

What is an open cover?

A standing arrangement covering all your shipments over a period, declared as they go. For regular traders it removes the per-shipment negotiation and closes the gap where a consignment moves before cover is arranged.

Does the Incoterm matter?

Very much. It decides at what point the risk passes to you, and therefore which part of the journey you need to insure. We check the terms of sale before quoting.

Let us compare 30+ insurers on an identical cover set for marine cargo insurance.

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