Learn about Commercial Marine Insurance

Whether you are a boat dealer/broker, marina operator, boat builder, boat yard or a marine artisan, every business is unique. We'll take the time to learn about your business and its exposures so that we can carefully craft your commercial marine insurance coverage and shop for a policy that best matches your needs.​

COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS AND AVAILABILITY 
• Admitted & Non-Admitted Carriers
•All Marine Liabilities
• Bumbershoot 
• Hull and P&I 
• International Scope
• Marine - Equipment, Motor Truck Cargo 
• Marine Related Property 
• Maritime Employers Liability/USL&H 
• Maritime General Liability 
• Marine Ocean Cargo / Inland Cargo
• P&I (both including & excluding Crew) 
• Vessel Pollution
• Wharfingers

MARINE SAMPLE CLASSES OF BUSINESS
• Boat Dealers & Brokers
• Charter & Rental Boats
• Commercial Vessels
• Docks & Piers
• Government Vessels
• Marinas & Shipyards
• Marine Contractors & Artisans including Divers
• Passenger Vessels
• Pleasure Crafts
• Stevedores
• Terminal Operators
• Vessel Builder’s Risk
• Vessel Repair / Fabrication
• Warehousing
Boat Dealers & Brokers

Boat dealers have numerous liability exposures from which they must protect themselves. Your liability to the public is likely the area that is of greatest concern. Customers can be injured while on your premises, your docks or while going on demo rides. In addition, your exposure continues for many years after your customers take their boat home. If they or someone else are injured by your product or the work of you service department, you could be held liable for the injuries. 

A dealer may also have auto liability exposures, employment liability exposures, and pollution exposures. A dealer also needs boat broker insurance to protect both the property they own and the property of others against loss. In many cases your own inventory is your biggest asset and must be protected from a loss. Because inventory values can fluctuate greatly, they can be covered on a monthly reporting form, which means you will only pay premium for the exact value of your inventory. You may also need to cover buildings you own, contents, docks, vehicles, owned vessels and various equipment. 

While the exposures are numerous, many insurance companies offer boat dealers package policies which will tie all the necessary coverage’s together in a single, cost effective policy. Packages include but are not limited to the following:  Commercial General Liability, Dealers Inventory, Bailee Coverage, Commercial Property, Commercial Auto, Piers, Wharves, and Docks, Marina Operators Legal Liability, Longshore and Harbor Workers, Owned vessel coverage, Protection & Indemnity, Profession Liability, Pollution and Bumbershoot Coverage.


Marina Operators and Boat Yards

Marina owner’s face many exposures and need several different forms of insurance. Among these are a potential for loss to their docks, piers, bulkheads, buildings and contents from a variety of Hazards. In addition, they face numerous liability exposures, such as liability from injury to the public, customers and visitors. The marina also has a duty and responsibility to provide a safe and secure mooring and may be held responsible for damage to customer’s boats that are in its care custody and control. 

A marina may also have commercial auto exposures, owned vessel exposures, employer’s liability exposures and pollution exposures, just to mention a few. While the exposures are numerous, many insurance companies offer marina insurance package policies which will tie all the necessary coverage’s together in a single, cost effective policy. Packages include but are not limited to the following:  Commercial General Liability, Dealers Inventory, Bailee Coverage, Commercial Property, Commercial Auto, Piers, Wharves, and Docks, Marina Operators Legal Liability, Longshore and Harbor Workers, Owned vessel coverage, Protection & Indemnity, Profession Liability, Pollution and Bumbershoot Coverage.

Marine hull, P&I, and builder’s risk
Our marine hull and protection and indemnity (P&I) can help cover accidental loss or damage to vessels on the water or at the dock. Today’s maritime industry faces its own unique challenges. Vessel owners need the right risk-management solutions to help protect vessels wherever they are.

The super-specialized world of marine vessel ownership requires expert protection. Our marine hull and P&I solutions help safeguard shipyards, workboats, research or passenger vessels, tugs, coastal tankers, and more. Our coverages include:
  • Marine hull insurance. This coverage helps cover physical loss or damage to vessels at the dock, during trips, or while operating.
  • Marine protection and indemnity insurance. This solution helps cover third-party liabilities arising out of the operations of the vessel. Coverage can be also be extended to include Jones Act coverage providing protection for bodily injury to crew members.
Coverage highlights: 
  • Hull, $15M capacity
  • Optional P&I, including crew liability, available with hull coverage, $1M capacity
  • Policy forms and coverages tailored to specific needs
  • Multiline capabilities
  • Annual and multiyear policy options
And every policy is backed by the financial strength, security, and capacity of a Fortune 100 company.
Boat Builders

Our builder's risk coverages can help cover accidental loss or damage to ships under construction. Today’s maritime industry faces its own unique challenges. Shipbuilders need the right risk-management solutions to help protect vessels wherever they are.

The super-specialized world of shipbuilding requires expert protection. Our builder’s risk solutions help safeguard shipyards, workboats, research or passenger vessels, tugs, coastal tankers, and more. Our coverages include:
  • Marine builder’s risk insurance. This solution provides coverage for the shipyard or vessel owner for loss or damage of vessels during the course of construction.
Coverage highlights: 
  • Marine builder’s risk, $25M capacity

A boat or yacht builder faces numerous exposures which may require multiple lines of insurance to properly cover. The first is Builders Risk Insurance, which covers a vessel from the start of construction through the final delivery to the customer. The boat builder insurance coverage also includes launching and sea trials area as well as Collision Liability and P&I. 

​In addition to builders’ risk, a builder will need General Liability, Products Liability and may need various property coverage’s, commercial auto coverage’s, inland marine coverage’s, pollution coverage, and employers’ liability coverage. The various aspect of insuring a builder are too numerous to discuss on this page, however; we help builders assess the full range of their needs and assist in placing its coverage with one of several companies that focus on insuring builders.


Ocean Cargo
Marine cargo insurance helps cover physical loss or damage to goods during international transit and can also extend to cover inland transit shipments and goods in storage.

International trade and shipping touches virtually every industry — so transporting cargo safely is critical to help keep business running smoothly. That’s why businesses with owned cargo, from retailers and manufacturers to distributors and importer/exporters, need tailored insurance solutions to help protect goods in transit, from warehouse to warehouse worldwide.
Our ocean marine cargo coverage offers broad protection for cargo and the business owners responsible for it.

Protecting your cargo from risks such as fire and theft as it travels from one location to another, whether by ship, aircraft, or railcar, is critical to maintaining business operations. Our worldwide ocean marine cargo coverage helps cover physical loss or damage to goods that are in transit, including additional coverages such as Domestic Transit and Warehouse Storage. Coverage highlights include:
  • Capacity up to $100M
  • Multiyear policy options with additional premium savings
  • Flat, nonauditable premiums
  • Broad, warehouse-to-warehouse coverage
  • Coverage for inland transit or warehouse storage
  • International policy issuance capabilities



Marine Artisan
​​We have several programs designed to cover marine artisans, which are individuals or small businesses involved in boat maintenance, service and repair. All need marine artisan insurance coverage. Typically, they will work at the vessels location in marinas or yards owned by others, work on private pleasure or small commercial watercraft and have gross receipts of $500,000 per year or less. Some examples include businesses that: 
  • Repair and/or install:
    • Electronics and electrical systems
    • Fiberglass
    • Canvas, sail and upholstery
  • Repair or service engines
  • Detailing or cleaning
  • Carpentry and woodworking
  • Painting
Key coverage highlights:
Primary capacity up to $5M
  • Comprehensive general liability coverage including product and completed operation for marine risks (marine general liability)
  • Stand-alone marine liability for stevedores, wharfingers, ship repairers, and terminal operators
  • Care, custody, and control exposures
  • Sudden and accidental pollution coverage
  • Worldwide coverage
  • Annual and multiyear policy options
Excess and bumbershoot capacity up to $25M
  • Bumbershoot liability
  • Excess liability; can also include auto liability (HNOA)

The owners of these businesses need three different types of liability insurance to cover their exposures.
  • First, they need General Liability protection which will cover them if someone is injured while they a performing their work and provides products and completed operations coverage which covers them for damages that occur as a result of the work.
  • Second, they need Ship Repairers Legal Liability which covers damage that occurs to a customer’s vessel while it’s in their care custody and control and for which they are legally liable.
  • The third is Protection and Indemnity which covers them if they are operating customers’ vessels for sea trials or repair.
  • Obtaining insurance to cover all these exposures may seem a bit overwhelming, but we have a number of programs that package these coverage’s together in a single policy and also provide optional coverage’s for tools and equipment, work boats and pollution.

What does a Marine Contractor Insurance policy cover?
  • Ship Repairs Legal Liability Insurance – it is necessary to protect your business with an insurance policy up to $1,000,000 liability limit for damages accidentally caused to your customers’ watercraft and its equipment, cargo, or any other interest on board a ship. This type of coverage transpires when your customers’ watercraft is in your care, custody, and control, for the purpose of altering or repairing the vessel at the shipyard, marina, at sea, or at any other locations outside the Country. Ship-repairer Legal Liability is a specialty coverage required to have for marine contractors.
  • Marine General Liability – protects your company against any bodily injury and property damage accidentally act out by your employees to your customers or to a third party, while they are working on board or alongside the vessel in any port or facility in the USA as well as Worldwide.
  • Marine Protection & Indemnity – such coverage can be added to protect your business from loss of life or bodily injury to your employees onboard your ship.
  • Traveling Workmen – this endorsement extends the liability coverage whenever your employees are working on board or alongside the vessel at any port or facility inside and outside the country, for the purpose to complete repairs and alterations of the ship assigned to you.
  • Marine Pollution Liability – protect your business against any discharge, release or escape of any smoke, toxic chemicals, liquids or gasses into land, atmosphere or body of water, accidentally caused by the finished work of your employees.
  • Blanket Additional Insured – this endorsement is required if you do work on numerous commercial ships or marinas in Florida.
  • Waiver of Subrogation – it is requested by many marinas in Florida, therefore, an endorsement is added to your policy, to waive the subrogation process by your Insurance company against the marinas.
  • Marine Contractors Tools and Equipment – it cover your tools during transit, normally up to $10,000 policy limit. However, if you need to insure more expensive tools, it is required to submit a list of all schedule items along with the serial number and the value per item.

Where Does The USL&H Act Apply?
For a claim to be within the jurisdiction of the USL&H Act, the accident must have occurred on or adjacent to navigable waters of the United States. This is often referred to as meeting the “situs test.”
  1. “Navigable waters” are those which are (i) either subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, or (ii) currently used, previously used, or have the potential to be used, to transport interstate commerce or foreign commerce. Generally, these are oceans and bays, plus certain lakes and rivers.
  2. “Adjacent to the water” means on any pier, wharf, dry dock, terminal, building way, marine railway, or any adjoining other area customarily used in the loading, unloading, building, repairing, or dismantling of a vessel.
  3. No distinct boundary exists determining where state act coverage ends and longshore coverage begins. Rather, the employee’s job duties determine the appropriate jurisdiction.

 Who is Subject to the USL&H Act?
Employers who have employees engaged in full or part-time maritime employment are subject to the USL&H Act. The term “employee” means any person engaged in maritime employment, including any longshoreman or other person engaged in long-shoring operations, and any harbor worker including a ship repairman, shipbuilder, and ship-breaker. Generally, the following types of employees are excluded if they are covered by a state workers’ compensation law:
  1. Individuals employed exclusively to perform office clerical, secretarial, security, or data processing work
  2. Individuals employed by a club, camp, recreational operation, restaurant, museum, or retail outlet
  3. Individuals employed by a marina and who are not engaged in construction, replacement, or expansion of such marina (except for routine maintenance)
  4. Individuals who (i) are employed by suppliers, transporters, or vendors, (ii) are temporarily doing business on the premises of a maritime employer, and (iii) are not engaged in work normally performed by employees of that employer under the Act
  5. Aquaculture workers
  6. Individuals employed to: i. build any recreational vessel under sixty- five feet in length; ii. repair any recreational vessel under sixty-five feet in length; or iii. dismantle any part of a recreational vessel under sixty-five feet in length in connection with the repair of such vessel
  7. A master or member of a crew of any vessel
  8. Any person engaged by a master to load or unload or repair any small vessel under eighteen tons net.

Possible Maritime Employments
The USL&H Act provides workers’ compensation coverage to land-based maritime employees, while the Jones Act provides tort remedies to sea-based maritime workers. There are many additional situations involving possible coverage under the USL&H Act. Some of the more frequent are:

Casual visitors on vessels: Casual business visitors are generally subject to state workers’ compensation laws. Other visitors, employed by a maritime employer, who make frequent trips to vessels or maritime sites to transact business may be covered by the USL&H Act. These include:
  • Representatives of longshoremen’s union
  • Employees of customhouse brokers
  • Insurance adjusters
  • Cargo handlers
  • Steamship company employees

​Dredging operations: Historically, injuries to persons employed in dredging operations have been compensable under the USL&H Act when such operations are carried out in navigable waters. However, under certain circumstances, injured workers may be able to pursue Jones Act remedies when dredging is conducted from a vessel in navigation.

Maritime construction: Injuries to persons employed in marine construction are generally compensable under the USL&H Act when such construction is conducted upon, or adjacent to, navigable waters. This includes the construction of piers, bulkheads, breakwaters, and other structures over water. However, Jones Act remedies may be available for injuries sustained while working from a vessel, work platform, barge or dredge. 


Contact us to learn more about the right commercial marine insurance for you.
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