Marine Insurance — All-Risks Cover for UK International Shipments

International ocean carriers operate under the Hague-Visby Rules (and in some jurisdictions, the Hamburg or Rotterdam Rules). These conventions cap carrier liability at SDR 666.67 (approximately £700) per package or SDR 2 (~£2) per kilogram — whichever is higher. For a £15,000 car, the maximum recovery from the carrier without dedicated insurance might be £4,000–£5,000.

Worse, carriers can disclaim liability for a long list of 'excepted perils' including acts of God, war, strikes, inherent vice and 'errors in navigation.' Many claims that look obvious are technically not recoverable from the carrier at all. Marine insurance closes that gap.

The standard wording for marine cargo policies is the Institute Cargo Clauses, drafted by the London market and used worldwide. There are three cover levels.

ICC (A) — All Risks. The broadest cover. The policy responds to any physical loss or damage from any external cause, unless specifically excluded. This is the default for vehicles, high-value cargo and almost all our shipments.

ICC (B) — Named Perils. Covers loss or damage from listed causes (fire, sinking, collision, derailment, washing overboard, jettison, total-loss general perils). Cheaper than A but excludes many real-world damage causes.

ICC (C) — Major Casualty Only. Covers the major perils (fire, sinking, collision, derailment) and little else. Used mainly for bulk commodities where partial damage is irrelevant.

An ICC (A) policy covers physical loss or damage from external causes during the agreed transit, including total loss of vessel, partial damage from handling and stowage, theft, fire, water damage, contamination from other cargo, vehicle damage during port handling, container drops and falling overboard.

Cover starts the moment the cargo leaves the named UK collection address, continues through warehouse handling, port operations, ocean transit, destination port and inland delivery, and ends on arrival at the named delivery address — typically with 60 days of warehouse cover at destination if onward movement is delayed.

General Average is a 3,000-year-old principle of maritime law: if a vessel faces a common peril and the captain takes deliberate action that sacrifices some cargo or incurs special expense to save the rest, every cargo owner contributes proportionally to the loss. Recent General Average declarations include the Ever Given grounding in the Suez Canal and the X-Press Pearl fire off Sri Lanka.

Without marine insurance, you're personally liable for your General Average contribution — which can be tens of thousands of pounds even for cargo that suffered no damage at all. Marine insurance pays the GA bond and contribution on your behalf.

Marine premiums are a percentage of the declared insured value, adjusted for cargo type, route, cover level and the customer's claims history. Indicative net rates: used vehicles 1.5%–2.5%, new vehicles 1.2%–2.0%, motorcycles 1.5%–2.5%, household effects 1.0%–2.0% (owner-packed adds a loading), new commercial machinery 0.4%–1.0%, general cargo 0.4%–1.0%, air freight 0.3%–0.8%.

Higher-value or high-risk routes (war-listed waters, certain Caribbean and West African ports) attract loadings. We get you the rate at quote stage with no commitment.

Declare the full replacement value at destination, including original purchase price, transport cost, customs duty and VAT (where applicable). For used vehicles, use the current UK market value (Glass's, Parker's or AutoTrader retail) — not the trade-in or sale price. Under-declaring may seem to save premium, but it triggers 'average' clauses that proportionally reduce any partial-loss payout.

Even all-risks cover has limits. The main exclusions are: wear and tear, inherent vice (cargo damaging itself, e.g. fruit ripening), pre-existing damage, mechanical or electrical breakdown unrelated to transit, delay (cargo arriving late but undamaged), and any cargo not declared on the policy.

War, strikes, terrorism and piracy require separate extension wordings (Institute War Clauses, Institute Strikes Clauses). For most routes we add these by default at minimal extra cost.

Report visible damage in writing to the carrier within 3 days of delivery (the 'claused' Bill of Lading note). Photograph everything before unloading or moving the cargo, keep all packing materials, and notify us immediately. We act as your UK claims agent — gathering survey reports, liaising with the underwriter, recovering against the carrier where possible and pushing payment.

Most straightforward vehicle and cargo claims are settled within 4–8 weeks of full documentation. Total losses are typically paid faster (2–4 weeks) once the casualty is confirmed.