Although the world is looking to reduce it’s carbon footprint, the transport of goods around the globe continues to contribute a great deal to the footprint for products we buy.
This is likely to continue for many years to come, until one of two things happen. The first, is that more and more countries get tougher on reducing emissions, or secondly, the unthinkable (to some, not all) that maybe the whole humankind caused global warming will not be as bad as at first thought, because maybe it is just a natural phenomena. Until this happens, we will continue to move goods around the globe. This will also mean that the need for marine cargo insurance will be around for a very long time.
You tend to find there are two types of companies that ask for quotes, those that are involved in this all the time, including freight forwarders and couriers and the others are businesses who have just started to grow and receive orders from overseas customers.
If you are supplying goods, then exactly who has responsibility and more importantly, what cover do you get. If you move goods with an approved carrier, in most cases they will offer some form of cargo insurance. Depending on the nature of the goods they are carrying for you, this will either be adequate or inadequate.
The potential for it to be inadequate, will be where the cover they offer you (and charge you for) is limited to a certain amount per kilo. If you are moving aggregate, all well and good, if you are moving consumer electronics, not so good.
The best option for you, if you are looking for this cover for the first time, is to speak to an independent business insurance broker. A broker will not charge you for advice and they will usually be able to provide you with two types of quotes, either a one off consignment or an annual policy. Depending on the amount of business you will or may do, the annual policy could turn out to be the most competitive option.