Cargo insurance for goods in motion
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.
Open policies for regular shippers · Single shipments too
Carrier liability is not cargo insurance
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.
The carrier pays — just not what you lost
How a single cargo loss adds up once carrier liability limits apply, and the coverage that closes the difference.
A container fire, and a bill for cargo that survived
A fire in the forward hold forces the vessel into a port of refuge and the owner declares general average. Every cargo interest on board — including shippers whose containers were untouched — must post security before anything is released.
- Cargo written off$340,000
- General average contribution$92,000
- Salvage security posted$46,000
- Expedited replacement freight$78,000
Illustrative example. Real outcomes depend on the facts and your policy terms.
Build the right program for what you ship
Every cargo program starts with an all-risk transit core, valuation at invoice plus 10 percent, and general average. Tell us how your goods move — no contact details needed.
Your operation
Select everything that applies.
Coverage that typically applies
7 coverages — a starting point for a conversation, not a quote.
- Open Cargo PolicyOne annual policy covering every shipment you declare.
- All-Risk Transit — ICC (A)The broadest standard wording for goods in transit.
- Warehouse-to-Warehouse TransitCover from origin dock to final delivery, not just port to port.
- Increased Value — Invoice Plus 10%Insures freight, duty and margin, not just factory cost.
- General Average & SalvagePosts your security so held containers are released.
- War, Strikes, Riot & Civil CommotionAdds back perils excluded from the base transit wording.
- Stock ThroughputExtends the policy to goods in storage between legs.
Built for how your goods move
Importers
Inbound containers and air freight, from origin factory to your dock.
Exporters
Outbound shipments, letters of credit, and CIF and CIP sales terms.
Manufacturers
Inbound components and outbound finished goods on one policy.
Distributors
Wholesale inventory moving between suppliers, 3PLs and customers.
E-commerce
Parcel and pallet flows, fulfillment centers and cross-border returns.
Cold chain
Produce, seafood and pharmaceuticals with temperature conditions.
Project cargo
Turbines, transformers and modules on heavy-lift and break-bulk moves.
Forwarders and NVOCCs
Legal liability, errors and omissions, and shipper-interest programs.
Every policy a shipper may need
Filter by type or search for a specific coverage.
Open Cargo Policy
One annual policy covering every shipment you declare, with certificates issued per shipment for banks and buyers.
All-Risk Transit Coverage
Institute Cargo Clauses (A) wording — physical loss or damage from any external cause except what the policy names.
Warehouse-to-Warehouse
Cover attaches when goods leave the origin warehouse and runs until delivery, spanning both inland legs and every transfer.
Stock Throughput
One policy for goods in transit and in storage, removing the gap between a cargo policy and a property policy.
General Average & Salvage
Pays your share when a vessel owner declares general average, and posts the security that gets your containers released.
War, Strikes & Political Risk
Restores perils the base wording excludes — war, strikes, riot, civil commotion and terrorism — on water and on land.
Theft, Pilferage & Non-Delivery
Covers the container that arrives light, the seal that was cut, and the shipment that never turns up.
Shortage, Leakage & Contamination
Weight and quality loss on bulk, break-bulk and liquid commodities where outturn rarely matches the manifest.
Temperature Deviation & Spoilage
Cold-chain loss from reefer breakdown, set-point error or a handling delay, with rejection cover for condemned product.
Project Cargo & Delay in Start-Up
Heavy-lift and out-of-gauge moves, plus the revenue lost when a critical component arrives damaged or late.
Fine Art & Exhibition Transit
Agreed-value cover nail to nail for art, samples and trade-show goods, including time on stand and in storage.
Seller's Interest & Contingent Cargo
Responds when you sold on terms that put insurance on the buyer and their cover fails, lapses or is never bought.
Specialists who read the bill of lading
Certificates and documentation
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 shipment stay on schedule.
Incoterms and recovery
We review your terms of sale to confirm who carries the risk on each leg, then pursue recovery against the carrier or terminal after a loss. Market context comes from bodies like the International Union of Marine Insurance (iumi.com).
General average handled
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.
Get your cargo insurance quote
All-risk coverage for the goods you move, priced on your actual shipping profile, with the certificates and claims support your trading partners expect.
Coverage descriptions are general summaries for education. They are not legal or coverage advice, a statement of coverage, an offer or a binder, and the coverage builder is a starting point for discussion rather than a quote. Scenarios and dollar figures are illustrative examples, not representations about any business or shipment. 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. Coverage, limits, valuation and eligibility are governed by the terms, conditions, warranties and exclusions of the policies issued and are subject to underwriting, sanctions screening and applicable trade controls.