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Marine & Transit Insurance

Cover for goods in movement, by sea, air, rail or road.

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Overview

What is Marine & Transit insurance?

Marine and transit insurance covers goods while they are in movement. Despite the name it applies to all modes — sea, air, rail, road and multimodal. Cover typically operates warehouse to warehouse, including intermediate storage, and can be arranged per consignment or as an open policy covering all shipments over a period.

Why businesses need it

Goods in transit occupy a gap in every other policy. They have left the protection of the origin warehouse and have not yet arrived at the destination. Damage, theft, and total loss during this window fall outside standard property cover entirely. For importers, exporters and distributors, this window may represent a substantial proportion of total stock value at any given moment.

The gap we see most often

The most frequent gap in marine cover is not absence but ambiguity over who insures. Incoterms determine where risk transfers between buyer and seller, and each party routinely assumes the other has arranged cover. The result is consignments moving entirely uninsured, discovered only when something goes wrong.

Policies in This Category

5 policy types we place.

Each placed across our insurer panel and structured around your actual exposure rather than a standard template.

Marine Cargo Insurance  →Inland Transit InsuranceMarine Open PolicyMarine Sales Turnover PolicyHull Insurance
Who This Is For

Businesses that typically need this cover.

If your operations fall into any of these, this category is likely relevant to your risk profile.

Importers and exporters
Manufacturers moving raw materials or finished goods
Distributors and wholesalers
E-commerce and fulfilment operators
Project cargo movers
Any business with a supply chain crossing warehouse boundaries

How we place it

1
Risk assessmentWe understand the business before approaching any insurer.
2
Market approachQuotes sought across our panel with a properly prepared submission.
3
ComparisonOptions presented side by side, differences explained plainly.
4
Placement & monitoringPolicy issued, tracked in iWallet360, reviewed as the business changes.
Common Questions

Marine & Transit insurance — common questions

Does marine insurance only cover sea transport?

No. It covers all modes including air, rail and road. The terminology is historic rather than descriptive.

What is an Open Policy?

A policy covering all shipments over a period, usually twelve months, up to a declared limit. It removes the need to arrange cover consignment by consignment.

What are Institute Cargo Clauses A, B and C?

Standard international wordings of decreasing breadth. Clause A is all-risk, Clause C covers only named major perils, and Clause B sits between them.

Who should arrange cover — buyer or seller?

It depends on the Incoterm. Under CIF the seller insures; under FOB risk transfers to the buyer at the ship’s rail. This should be confirmed at contract stage.

Is damage from poor packing covered?

No. Inadequate or unsuitable packing is a standard exclusion across cargo policies.

What is a Sales Turnover Policy?

A structure where premium is based on annual sales turnover rather than individual shipment declarations, simplifying administration for high-frequency shippers.

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