Economy
How to Find The Best Marine Insurance Provider For You
For maritime businesses, the stakes are high, and the seas can be unpredictable. Whether you own a shipping fleet, operate a fishing company, or oversee marine logistics, safeguarding your assets with the right marine insurance is prudent. It’s also essential for the sustainability of your enterprise. Here are some tips for how to find the best marine insurance provider. By following these strategic steps, you can ensure your business remains afloat, even in the face of unforeseen challenges.
1. Assess Your Maritime Needs
The first crucial step towards securing the ideal marine insurance provider is a comprehensive assessment of your maritime business needs. To navigate the complexities of this industry successfully, you must understand your unique risks and vulnerabilities. Consider the types of vessels you operate, the nature of your cargo, the routes you take, and the specific challenges your business faces. By gaining clarity on these aspects, you’ll be well-prepared to discuss your insurance requirements with potential providers. Understanding your maritime needs also involves estimating the potential financial impact of various risks, such as damage to vessels, loss of cargo, or liability claims. This evaluation will serve as the foundation for tailoring your insurance coverage to ensure you’re adequately protected against these risks.
2. Research Specialized Marine Insurers
Maritime business demands specialized knowledge and expertise. Therefore, it’s wise to focus your search on marine insurance companies that specialize in this type of coverage. These specialized insurers possess an in-depth understanding of the unique risks and challenges that businesses like yours encounter regularly. They can offer tailored solutions designed to address the specific needs of marine enterprises. When researching potential insurers, consider their track record within the marine industry. Look for providers with a proven history of working with businesses similar to yours and a strong reputation for efficient claims handling. Customer reviews and testimonials from other marine business owners can provide valuable insights into an insurer’s performance and reliability.
3. Evaluate Financial Stability
The financial stability of your chosen marine insurance provider is paramount. As a business owner, you want the assurance that your insurer can meet its financial obligations, particularly when it comes to honoring insurance claims. Review the financial strength ratings and creditworthiness of potential providers to ensure they have the financial capacity to support your business throughout the policy period. An insurer with a strong financial foundation is better equipped to respond to large-scale incidents or catastrophic events that may result in significant claims. Evaluate their financial reports and assess their ability to handle claims promptly and efficiently, even in challenging circumstances.
4. Examine Coverage Options
The world of marine insurance offers a wide array of coverage options to address the diverse needs of maritime businesses. When seeking the best marine insurance provider, thoroughly examine the coverage options each insurer offers. Look beyond basic policies and assess their ability to tailor coverage to your specific requirements. Consider the types of policies available, such as hull insurance, cargo insurance, liability insurance, and specialized coverages like protection and indemnity (P&I) insurance. Ensure that the insurer can provide a comprehensive package that aligns with the risks your business faces daily. Don’t hesitate to engage in detailed discussions with potential providers to explore endorsements, riders, and policy enhancements that can further enhance your coverage.
5. Customer Support and Claims Handling
The quality of customer support and claims handling is a critical factor in your relationship with a marine insurance provider. Assess their responsiveness, accessibility, and willingness to assist when you need it most. In the event of a claim, you want an insurer that can expedite the process, minimize disruptions to your operations, and offer guidance throughout the claims journey. Inquire about their claims history and their ability to handle complex maritime claims efficiently. Seek references from other marine business owners who have experienced the claims process with the insurer to gain insights into their level of service and support during challenging times.
Conclusion
Finding the best marine insurance provider for your maritime business requires careful consideration and a tailored approach. By assessing your maritime needs, researching specialized insurers, evaluating financial stability, examining coverage options, and prioritizing exceptional customer support and claims handling, you can secure the comprehensive insurance coverage your business deserves. This proactive approach ensures that your maritime enterprise remains resilient and prepared for the challenges and opportunities that the vast seas present.
By Dipo Olowookere
The first trading session of the week on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited ended in the green territory on Monday, with a 1.20 per cent rise.
This was buoyed by the gains recorded by Airtel Africa and other equities, according to analysis of data harvested from the Customs Street yesterday.
During the trading day, the consumer goods index grew by 0.76 per cent, enough to offset the losses recorded by the other sectors.
The insurance counter shrank by 1.64 per cent, the banking space lost 0.24 per cent, the energy sector contracted by 0.09 per cent, and the industrial goods segment retreated by 0.05 per cent.
When trading activities ended for the day, the All-Share Index (ASI) was up by 2,956.15 points to 248,529.75 points from 245,573.60 points, and the market capitalisation gained N1.909 trillion to finish at N160.422 trillion compared with the previous session’s N158.513 trillion.
Fortis Global Insurance expanded by 10.00 per cent to N2.86, Chams surged by 9.80 per cent to N4.48, NAHCO jumped by 9.29 per cent to N153.00, Airtel Africa soared by 8.59 per cent to N6,300.00, and Sovereign Trust Insurance rose by 6.59 per cent to N1.78.
Conversely, AVA Capital shed 10.00 per cent to N9.90, Ecobank decreased by 9.92 per cent to N64.95, Caverton crashed by 9.09 per cent to N5.00, Ikeja Hotel slipped by 8.41 per cent to N43.00, and FTN Cocoa dropped 8.37 per cent to trade at N8.10.
A total of 23 equities were on the gainers’ chart yesterday, while 37 equities ended on the losers’ table, indicating a negative market breadth index and weak investor sentiment.
As for the activity log, the trading volume remained elevated, though lower than the preceding session, as it receded by 26.67 per cent to 1.1 billion units from 1.5 billion units. The trading value, however, increased by 1.12 per cent to N27.0 billion from N26.7 billion, while the number of deals advanced by 39.00 per cent to 59,185 deals from 42,580 deals.
Consolidated Hallmark was the most active stock yesterday, with a turnover of 354.1 million units valued at N1.5 billion, Fortis Global Insurance traded 307.3 million units worth N818.3 million, Access Holdings exchanged 48.1 million units for N1.4 billion, Chams transacted 37.4 million units worth N163.3 million, and First Holdco sold 35.8 million units valued at N5.1 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Oil prices traded 5 per cent higher on Monday after Iran and the United States argued about demands for compensation, further stalling a possible deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures chalked up $4.17 or 4.99 per cent to sell at $87.72 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures surged $3.95 or 5.05 per cent to $82.13 per barrel.
Iran said the US must lift sanctions on it and meet other conditions for reopening the vital waterway, which carried a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the start of the Middle East conflict in late February.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Iran must pay compensation for “all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded.”
This comes as the Middle East country said it was nearing a final pact with Oman to define new shipping lanes through the strait but repeated that the US must meet other conditions, including compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats before the strategic waterway is reopened.
In a further threat to supply, the Iran-aligned Houthis said they had struck Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery on Sunday. Saudi Aramco has postponed the restart of the 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery to August 30 after two Houthi attacks in recent weeks.
ADNOC, a state-owned oil company in the United Arab Emirates, said on Friday that 15 of its vessels had been attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the conflict.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military continued to attack Russia’s energy infrastructure, hitting the Taneco oil refinery in Tatarstan and the ZapSibNeftekhim petrochemical plant in Russia’s Tyumen region.
On the US supply side, stocks of crude oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) fell by about 6.1 million barrels to 298.7 million barrels last week, the lowest level since January 1983.
Bank of America (BoFA) warned that oil prices could continue climbing into the winter if the US and Iran fail to reach an agreement reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with severe shortages already emerging in diesel, petrol, and global natural gas markets.
Mr Francisco Blanch, Bank of America’s head of commodities and derivatives research, told CNBC on Monday that only around 5 to 10 ships per day are currently passing through Hormuz, compared with roughly 140 before the war. With some crude now being rerouted through Saudi Arabia and the UAE, traffic would need to recover to around 80 to 100 ships per day just to stabilise energy markets.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions has called for stronger collaboration among financial sector regulators and other stakeholders to strengthen Nigeria’s financial system and support sustainable economic growth.
The committee made the call during an expanded stakeholders’ engagement in Lagos, attended by the leadership of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), among other industry stakeholders and financial experts.
Chairman of the committee, Mr Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East), who was represented by Mr Osita Izunaso (Imo West), said stronger legislative reforms and regulatory collaboration were necessary to reposition Nigeria’s financial architecture for long-term economic prosperity.
Mr Abiru said the financial sector remained critical to investment, job creation, business expansion and macroeconomic stability, stressing that its ability to mobilise savings, channel credit to productive sectors, facilitate investment and manage risks was fundamental to sustainable economic growth.
He said the current economic realities required closer collaboration between the legislature and financial regulators, noting that challenges confronting the sector were interconnected and could not be effectively addressed through isolated interventions.
The lawmaker identified inflationary pressures, global economic uncertainties, cybersecurity threats, low insurance penetration and the need to diversify Nigeria’s export base as some of the challenges requiring coordinated policy responses.
He said the engagement was aimed at generating practical solutions to strengthen the country’s financial architecture and support sustainable economic growth.
According to him, monetary policy, financial safety nets, banking institutions, the insurance industry and export finance were interdependent components of a stable financial system and must therefore be strengthened collectively.
The Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, said the Nigeria Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025 had contributed significantly to stabilising and repositioning the insurance sector.
Mr Omosehin disclosed that 43 insurance companies had successfully recapitalised, describing the development as a major milestone for the industry.
He commended Abiru and members of the committee for their role in advancing insurance sector reforms and urged the House of Representatives to expedite action on the relevant insurance reform bill to enable it to receive presidential assent and become operational.
Representatives of the CBN Governor and the Managing Directors of AMCON, NEXIM and NDIC also commended the Senate committee for its oversight and legislative support, saying its interventions had strengthened the agencies’ capacity to discharge their statutory mandates.
The engagement, held under the theme, Strengthening Financial System Architecture for Sustainable Economic Growth and Stability in Nigeria, also featured presentations by Professor Uche Uwaleke, President of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria (CMAN); Professor Biodun Adedipe, Chief Consultant, B. Adedipe Associates Limited; and Dr Tilewa Adebajo, Chief Executive Officer of CFG Advisory.
The experts presented policy recommendations on key issues affecting Nigeria’s financial system, with emphasis on financial stability, investment and sustainable economic growth.
Mr Abiru said the Senate would continue to engage financial regulators and other stakeholders to deepen financial inclusion, strengthen public confidence in financial institutions and improve regulatory effectiveness.
He said the broader objective was to position Nigeria’s financial system to compete more effectively in the global economy while remaining resilient and responsive to the country’s economic transformation agenda.
