Insurance for goods that move.
Cargo in transit, goods in a warehouse, freight liability and the marine exposures that come with trading through a port city. Send us the documents and we will tell you what can be arranged, and what cannot.
Send us your shipment details See what’s coveredGoods in transit, storage, motor truck cargo and freight liability
Importers, exporters, distributors, forwarders and carriers
What you ship, where from and to, values and terms of sale
Is my cargo already insured while it is shipping?
Usually far less than people assume. A carrier’s legal liability is limited (often to a fixed amount per kilogram, regardless of what the goods are worth) and it only applies when the carrier is at fault. A container lost overboard in a storm may leave you with almost nothing. Cargo insurance covers the goods themselves, not the carrier’s blame.
Carrier liability is capped by weight and only pays when the carrier was at fault. On a container of high-value goods that can mean recovering a fraction of what the shipment was worth, with the rest carried by you.
That single misunderstanding causes more uninsured losses than any other in freight. If you are shipping goods and relying on someone else’s liability, it is worth ten minutes of checking.
Cover for goods, transit and the businesses that move them.
Marine cargo
Goods in transit by sea, air, road or rail, imports, exports and domestic movements, per shipment or on an annual policy.
Motor truck cargo
Goods carried on your own vehicles, and the liability you take on as a carrier.
Goods in storage
Stock sitting in a warehouse, a yard or a third-party facility between legs of a journey.
Freight forwarders & logistics liability
Errors and omissions and legal liability exposures for the businesses arranging other people’s shipments.
Equipment and vessels afloat
Workboats, barges and marine equipment, where the exposure is genuinely marine rather than simply valuable.
Contingent and seller’s interest
For when your buyer was supposed to insure the goods, and you carry the risk if they did not.
Cargo and transit we place directly. Freight forwarder E&O is professional liability and goes through specialist markets instead, a distinction worth knowing before someone tells you it is all one policy.
We are brokers in a port city, and it shows in the work.
Vancouver’s economy runs on goods arriving and leaving. Importers, distributors, freight businesses and the trades that supply them all carry transit exposures, and most local brokerages do not deal with them at all.
Importers & distributors
Goods arriving from overseas, sitting in a warehouse, then moving again by truck.
Exporters
Terms of sale decide who insures what and where the risk passes. Getting that wrong is expensive.
Freight & logistics
Carriers and forwarders whose liability exposures do not fit a standard business policy.
How big is our marine desk?
Small, real, and honest about it.
We are not a specialist marine house with a floor of underwriters. Our marine and cargo work is a genuine part of what we do, and it is unusual among Lower Mainland retail brokerages, most of which do not touch it.
What that means in practice: we place marine and cargo through specialist markets via the wholesale channel. For straightforward cargo and transit exposures that works well. For a large or unusual marine risk, we will tell you early if it belongs with a dedicated marine specialist rather than taking three weeks to reach the same conclusion.
You get a straight answer about what we can arrange. That is worth more than a claim we cannot back up.
Businesses whose goods do not stay still.
A situation we see.
A container goes overboard in heavy weather. The carrier was not at fault, so their liability pays nothing. Cargo insurance covers the goods themselves regardless of blame, which is the whole reason it exists.
If a shipment is damaged or missing.
Marine and cargo claims always come through our office, call us first and we handle the reporting. Cargo claims are won and lost on documents, so what you do in the first days matters more than in almost any other kind of claim.
- Tell us straight away, even before you know the full extent of the loss.
- Note the damage on the delivery receipt before you sign anything.
- Photograph the goods, the packaging, the container and the seal.
- Keep everything, damaged goods, packaging and the container if you can.
- Hold on to the bill of lading, packing list, invoice and any survey report.
- Do not settle anything with the carrier before speaking to us.
What importers and shippers ask us.
Does the shipping company’s insurance cover my goods?
Only partly, and usually far less than the value of the goods. Carrier liability is limited by law and by contract, frequently to a set amount per kilogram, and it only applies where the carrier is at fault. Cargo insurance covers the goods themselves regardless of who is to blame.
What is the difference between a single-shipment and an annual cargo policy?
A single-shipment policy covers one movement. An annual policy covers everything you ship in a year under agreed terms, which is simpler and usually cheaper if you ship regularly. If you ship more than occasionally, ask about the annual option.
Who insures the goods, me or my supplier?
It depends on the terms of sale in your contract. Those terms decide the point at which risk passes from seller to buyer, and both sides often assume the other is covering it. Send us the terms and we will tell you which side of the line you are on.
Are my goods covered while they sit in a warehouse?
Not always, and storage is where a lot of gaps appear, particularly in a third-party facility or between legs of a journey. It can be built into a cargo policy, but it should be arranged deliberately rather than assumed.
Do you insure boats and vessels?
We handle marine equipment and workboat exposures through specialist markets. For large or unusual vessels, we will tell you honestly whether it belongs with a dedicated marine specialist.
What do you need from me to get started?
What you ship, where from and where to, roughly how often, the value of a typical shipment, and the terms of sale if you have them. That is usually enough to begin.
Own the trucks as well as the freight? commercial vehicles & fleet.
Send us the shipping documents.
What you move, where it goes and what it is worth. We work from paperwork, not guesswork.
WE REPLY IN WRITING · MARINE AND CARGO CLAIMS ALWAYS COME THROUGH OUR OFFICE
Make, pack or distribute goods? Manufacturing & wholesale covers plant, stock and the downtime that costs most.
Importing and distributing rather than just shipping? wholesale & distribution.