Marine cargo insurance protects your goods against loss or damage while they are in transit, whether by sea, air, or road. For any business that imports, exports, manufactures, or moves goods, it is the cover that stands behind the value travelling between your supplier, your warehouse, and your customer. We structure cargo cover around how and where your goods actually move.
What marine cargo insurance covers
Marine cargo insurance responds to physical loss or damage to goods during the course of carriage, from the point cover attaches to the point it ends. It applies across sea, air, and land transit, and can extend to inland movement and storage along the way. The cover is for the goods themselves, and it is distinct from a carrier's or freight forwarder's liability, which responds only where the carrier is at fault.
How the level of cover is set
The scope of a cargo policy is usually defined by the Institute Cargo Clauses, the standardised terms used worldwide. Institute Cargo Clauses (A) provide the broadest, all-risks cover, while (B) and (C) cover a narrower set of named perils. Even all-risks cover carries standard exclusions, such as loss from inherent vice, ordinary wear and tear, delay, and inadequate packing. Matching the clause to the nature and value of your goods is the first decision in arranging the cover.
Choosing the right type of policy
For a one-off or occasional shipment, a single voyage policy covers that consignment alone. For a business shipping regularly, an open cover or annual policy insures shipments automatically on agreed terms, with the premium adjusted to actual volumes, which removes the need to arrange cover consignment by consignment. The right structure depends on how often you ship and how predictable your volumes are.
Where the exposure sits
The most common gap is a mismatch between the insurance and the trade terms. Incoterms determine the point at which risk passes between buyer and seller, and a policy that does not align with the agreed term can leave goods uninsured for part of the journey. Cover that stops at the port rather than continuing to the final warehouse, or that does not contemplate transhipment and storage, leaves a gap precisely where goods are often most exposed. Confirming that the cover follows the goods from origin to destination, and aligns with your Incoterms, is where the protection is decided.
How we structure it
We take time to understand what you ship, the routes and modes you use, your trade terms, and the value at risk on a typical consignment, and we place cover with our appointed insurers around that. We structure the policy to follow your goods for the whole journey, review it as your trade patterns change, and remain your point of contact if a claim arises. The aim is cover that travels with your goods and responds without gaps.