Goods in transit by road, rail, air or sea — with real depth in high-value and fragile shipments.
Marine cargo insurance covers goods against loss or damage while in transit — whether that's a single shipment or a continuous flow of consignments across a year. Despite the name, it covers inland, air and multimodal transit as well as sea freight, and is central to any business that regularly ships goods, including exporters, importers and traders in high-value goods.
A standing policy that automatically covers every shipment made over a policy period, without arranging cover shipment-by-shipment.
Cover arranged for a single shipment or voyage — useful for occasional or one-off shipments.
Cover for domestic movement by road, rail or air, separate from or combined with international marine cover.
Cover structured around Incoterms and the point at which risk transfers between buyer and seller.
Add-ons for shipments whose value or complexity goes beyond standard cargo terms.
Every policy is different — this is a general guide to the kind of exclusions common in this category, not a list for any specific policy.
Secure remaining goods and photograph the damage, packaging and surroundings before anything is moved.
Tell the transporter, shipping line or courier immediately, in writing where possible.
Share your policy details, shipment documents and a description of the loss.
Invoice, packing list, transport documents and any carrier correspondence.
The insurer may arrange an independent survey, particularly for larger claims, before settling.
For full step-by-step guidance and a claim assistance form, visit the Claims Centre →
We're preparing a short explainer on marine cargo & transit insurance. In the meantime, the sections above cover the essentials — or get in touch with a question.
If you ship regularly, a Marine Open Policy usually works out simpler and more consistent than arranging cover shipment by shipment. Occasional shippers often prefer a Specific Voyage Policy instead.
It depends on the Incoterms agreed in the sale contract, which determine when risk transfers between buyer and seller. We can help you understand what your specific shipping terms imply.
High-value goods like jewellery and gemstones are usually written under specialist terms rather than a generic cargo policy — see our Jewellers Block Insurance page, or talk to us about combining both.
Tell us what you need covered — no payment or policy details required to start the conversation.