Carrier liability is not insurance, and the gap between the two surprises most people at the worst possible moment.
What carrier liability actually covers
Carriers are liable under international convention, but that liability is capped by weight, not by what the goods are worth. On a pallet of electronics, the cap works out at a small fraction of the commercial value. If the container goes over the side, that cap is what you’d recover — not the value of what you lost.
All-risk marine cargo insurance covers the full commercial value of the goods plus freight, against loss and damage in transit.
How it works
- We arrange the cover — it’s underwritten by an insurer, not by us
- It has to be in place before the goods move; it can’t be added afterwards
- Priced as a small percentage of the insured value
- We handle the claim paperwork if something goes wrong
Ask for it at quote stage. Cargo insurance is one of the cheapest lines on a shipment and the only one that matters when something goes wrong. Once the goods are in transit it’s too late to arrange.
Worth insuring for the full value
Insure the commercial value plus freight and duty — that’s what it would actually cost you to replace the shipment and get it there again. Under-insuring to save a few units of premium means a partial payout on a total loss.
Cover your next shipment properly
Tell us the value of the goods and we’ll quote the cover alongside the freight.
