Risk & compliance
Cargo Insurance
All-risk marine and air cargo insurance covering the declared value of your goods door to door, arranged alongside the booking on any international lane — import, export or cross-trade.
Why carrier liability is not enough
Ocean and air carriers are not insurers, and their liability is capped by international convention rather than by what your goods are worth. Under the Hague-Visby Rules a sea carrier's liability is limited per package or per kilo, and the Montreal Convention caps air carriage the same way. On a container of electronics or machinery those limits can settle a total loss for a fraction of the invoice value. Cargo insurance closes that gap by covering the value you declare.
What all-risk cover includes
Our standard policy is all-risk, meaning it covers physical loss or damage from any external cause that is not specifically excluded, for the whole journey rather than just the sea or air leg. Cover runs warehouse to warehouse, so the inland collection and delivery legs are not a gap in the middle of your protection.
- Physical loss or damage in transit
- Loading, discharge and transhipment
- Inland haulage at both ends
- General average contributions
- Storage in the ordinary course of transit
- Total loss of the vessel or aircraft
What is not covered
Standard exclusions apply and it is better to know them before you ship than after. Inherent vice, ordinary wear, insufficient or unsuitable packing, deliberate damage and delay itself are not covered, and some commodities and routes need to be declared and rated separately. If your cargo is unusual, high value, temperature sensitive or moving into a region with a war or strikes exposure, tell us at quote stage and we will confirm what can be arranged.
How it is priced and claimed
Premium is a percentage of the declared value, so the figure you insure for is the figure you would recover, subject to policy terms. Declare the commercial invoice value plus freight — and, where you want it, an uplift for the cost and inconvenience of replacement. If something does go wrong, tell us straight away, keep the packaging and the damaged goods, and photograph everything before it is moved: a claim is far easier to settle when the evidence was captured at the point of discovery.
What the cover does
Add cargo insurance to any shipment when you request a quote, on imports and exports alike.
Add insurance to a quoteCargo Insurance: common questions
Isn't my cargo already covered by the shipping line?
No — and this is the most expensive misunderstanding in freight. Carrier liability is capped by international convention at roughly 2 SDR per kilogram under the Hague-Visby Rules for sea freight, which for a pallet of electronics can be a small fraction of its value. The carrier is also only liable where it is at fault, so a general average declaration or a weather loss leaves you carrying the loss.
What does all-risk marine cargo insurance cover?
All-risk cover pays the declared value of your goods for physical loss or damage from any external cause during transit, typically warehouse to warehouse, including general average contributions. It excludes inherent vice, ordinary wear, insufficient packing and deliberate acts. Premiums run as a small percentage of the declared value, which is usually the invoice cost plus freight plus 10%.
When should I declare the value of my shipment?
At booking, before the goods move. Cover is arranged against a declared value and cannot be added retrospectively once a loss has occurred, so a shipment that sails uninsured stays uninsured. Declare the commercial invoice value plus freight plus the customary 10% uplift so a claim leaves you whole rather than out of pocket for the cost of getting the goods there.
Also available
Complete the move with our other services
Warehousing
Bonded and general storage at origin and destination, with pick, pack and onward distribution.
View serviceRoRo
Roll-on/roll-off shipping for cars, vans, trucks, plant and any self-propelled or wheeled equipment.
View serviceDoor to Door
Collection at the shipper's premises and delivery to the consignee's door, with everything between handled by us.
View serviceProject Cargo
Out-of-gauge, heavy-lift and breakbulk consignments that will not travel in a standard container.
View serviceAsk about any of these when you request a quote or get in touch.
Ready to ship? Tell us the route and we will quote it.
Any country to any country, import or export — send us the origin, destination and cargo details and we'll come back with a competitive rate within one business day.