Marine Insurance for UK Vehicle & Cargo Shipping — All-Risks Door-to-Door Cover

Under the Hague-Visby Rules, the maximum that an ocean carrier is liable to pay for loss or damage to your cargo is roughly £100 per package or 2 SDR per kilogram — whichever is greater. For a 1,500kg car that works out at around £2,700 of carrier liability — against a real-world replacement cost of £20,000+ for even a modest used vehicle. Dedicated marine insurance closes that gap.

ICC(A) is the broadest set of cargo insurance terms in maritime law. It covers all risks of physical loss or damage to cargo from the moment it leaves the seller's warehouse to the moment it arrives at the buyer's warehouse — except for a short list of named exclusions (war, strikes, inherent vice, wilful misconduct). War and strikes can be bought back as optional extensions.

Standard policies pay out at market value at time of loss — which for an exported vehicle is open to dispute. We arrange Agreed Value cover where the sum insured is fixed at the start of the policy, supported by a valuation, and paid in full in the event of total loss. Essential for classics, modified cars and high-value vehicles.

Typical premiums: standard used vehicles 1.5%–2% of declared value; classics and luxury 1.8%–2.8%; general household cargo 0.4%–1%; commercial vehicles and plant 1.4%–1.8%; air freight 0.5%–1.5%. Minimum premium £45 per shipment.

If damage is found at destination, the consignee must note exception on the delivery receipt, photograph the damage, and contact the local underwriter representative within 7 days. We help shippers through every stage of the claim — from initial notice through to settlement.

Our marine cover starts at UK collection, runs through warehousing, port handling, ocean transit, destination port and onward delivery — total door-to-door. Stand-alone port-to-port cover is also available at reduced rates.