Think of cargo insurance like your health and/or life insurance. As you can imagine, there are plenty of cargo insurance you can choose from, each with its own coverages and limitations. In this post, we’ll give you an overview of the more common types of cargo insurance and their coverages.

Land cargo insurance

Land cargo insurance, as its name suggests, covers your shipment when it’s being transported on land. This is generally when your cargo is on board a truck but also applies to when it’s being transported or managed by other utility vehicles. This insurance is domestic and coverage is only applicable within the country.

Coverage: Theft, damage from collision, and other risks.

Marine cargo insurance

Marine cargo insurance covers the sea (and air for air freight) leg of your shipment’s journey. Unlike the land cargo insurance, this applies to international transportation.

Coverage: Damage from loading/unloading, bad weather, piracy, and other risks.

Marine cargo insurance policies are either renewable or permanent. If you’re not a frequent shipper, it’s better to choose the renewable policy as it applies to one-time, single voyages. These tend to be relatively inexpensive and can end up saving you a considerable sum. As for frequent shippers, a permanent policy will cover you for a determined period of time regardless of the number of shipments you’re sending.