Your freight is your balance sheet in motion. We place all-risk cargo programs for importers, exporters and distributors — ocean, air, road and rail — so a loss at sea, in the air, or in a warehouse is a claim rather than a write-off.
Certificates issued on demand · Open policies for regular shippers · Single shipments too
Most shippers assume the carrier is responsible for their freight. In practice, carrier liability is capped, conditional, and often far below what the goods are worth — a container line's exposure under U.S. COGSA defaults to $500 per package, and an air carrier's to roughly 22 SDR per kilogram. Cargo insurance covers the value you actually invoiced.
It also follows the goods where carrier liability does not: door to door rather than port to port, through consolidation warehouses, cross-docks, and the inland leg at both ends. Which side of a transaction owes that coverage depends on your Incoterms — and getting that wrong is one of the more common gaps we find. For import documentation and entry requirements, see U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Illustrative examples of how a single cargo loss adds up once carrier liability limits are applied — and the coverage that closes the difference. Click through each.
Tell us how your goods move and where they sit, and we will assemble the cargo coverages that typically apply — a starting point for your quote, no contact info required.
Every cargo program starts with an all-risk transit core, valuation at invoice plus 10 percent, and general average.
We place cargo and transit coverage across the full range of shipper and intermediary operations.
Inbound containers and air freight, from origin factory to your dock.
Outbound shipments, letters of credit, and CIF and CIP sales terms.
Inbound components and outbound finished goods on one policy.
Wholesale inventory moving between suppliers, 3PLs, and customers.
Parcel and pallet flows, fulfillment centers, and cross-border returns.
Produce, seafood, and pharmaceuticals with temperature conditions.
Turbines, transformers, and modules on heavy-lift and breakbulk moves.
Legal liability, errors and omissions, and shipper-interest programs.
Filter by type or search to see the full range of cargo and transit coverage we place.
Letters of credit rarely wait. We issue certificates of insurance on demand, worded to match the credit and the sales contract, so your bank release and your shipment stay on schedule.
We review your terms of sale to confirm who carries the risk on each leg, then pursue recovery against the carrier or terminal on your behalf after a loss. Market context comes from bodies like the International Union of Marine Insurance.
When a general average is declared, cargo is held until security is posted. We arrange the guarantee through your underwriter and work with the average adjuster, so your containers are released without a cash deposit from you.
All-risk coverage for the goods you move, priced on your actual shipping profile, with the certificates and claims support your trading partners expect. Let us build the right program together.
Or email us at info@firstunderwriters.com
Descriptions are general summaries for education and are not a statement of coverage, an offer, or a binder, and the coverage builder is a starting point for discussion rather than a quote or coverage determination. The scenarios and cost breakdowns shown are illustrative, not guarantees or representations about specific companies or shipments. Carrier liability limits referenced, including the $500 per-package limitation under the U.S. Carriage of Goods by Sea Act and the per-kilogram limitation under the Montreal Convention, are general summaries of statute and may be varied by contract, declared value, or applicable law. Actual coverage, limits, valuation, and eligibility are governed solely by the terms, conditions, warranties, and exclusions of your issued policies and are subject to underwriting, sanctions screening, and applicable trade controls. First Underwriters Insurance Brokers · Kirkland, WA · (425) 242-5357.
