MARINE CARGO ‘ALL RISKS’ INSURANCE

It is often thought that the contractual and legal responsibilities of the 'carrier' - who may be the haulier, freight forwarder, shipping company or airline - provides full compensation for goods lost or damaged whilst in their care.

This is incorrect, and could result in you being out of pocket following a loss.

Cargo Owners should arrange their own Cargo Insurance because:

The carrier's insurance only protects against his contractual or legal liabilities arising from his Trading Conditions which invariably impose a limitation per tonne. In the case of hauliers in the UK, this is normally £1300 per tonne which in most instances is insufficient to cover the cost of goods.

An important feature of the carrier's conditions of carriage is the time limitation imposed by the carrier on their customer. This can mean that claims for loss or damage may become time barred three days after delivery.

Carriers responsible for loss or damage or their insurers may be based overseas, and this leads to inevitable problems in obtaining recompense.

Proving that the carrier is liable for damage suffered is often an expensive and time consuming process.

We will arrange insurance for the goods and charge a rate that reflects the potential recoveries under the conditions of carriage. Recovery problems are left to the expertise of our claims and recoveries personnel.

Insuring cargo in transit is not legally compulsory, but the need to insure is a common sense reality.

To find out more about what we can offer you, please complete one of the quotation forms below: