Marine Cargo

At Howden, we’re adept at providing cost-effective cover for complex and non-standard marine risks – but we also source more mainstream insurance, including higher volume, lower value shipments. Cargo insurance can be tailored to virtually any item or commodity, from a fine art painting to thousands of tonnes of coffee and virtually anything in between.

Marine policies work in two ways:

• Open policy covers you for 12 months at agreed rates, subject to declarations
• One-off policy covers a single shipment; door to door, anywhere in the world 

You can choose between a named perils basis, which covers you against specific risks, or an “all-risk” basis (where we consider a scenario covered, unless explicitly stated otherwise).

The main perils covered as standard:

• Fire and explosion
• Stranding
• Sinking
• Capsizing
• Overturning of a lorry or train
• Collision
• Discharge at a port of distress
• Total loss of vehicle
• General average sacrifice and jettison 

We work with you to understand your risk profile and help you choose the level of protection that your business needs.

We can add clauses to cover risks including: 

• Water damage 
• Theft 
• Malicious damage 
• War 
• Strikes 
• Accidental breakage 
• Washing overboard.

Some of these clauses may be available at no extra costs, depending on your risk profile. 

You may also want to consider:

• Stock throughput
• Confiscation & expropriation
• Credit insurance

Margins are tight in shipping and logistics - you need maximum value for money from your insurance. We’re here to provide it. Howden’s added value consultancy helps with cutting costs without cutting corners – it’s no use having an insurance policy that looks low cost but doesn’t pay out when you need it most.