Claims Advocacy: Making Marine Claims Simple

Marine claims should be simple. A loss occurs, the policy responds as intended, and the insured is restored, as far as the contract allows, to their prior financial position.

In reality, every marine professional knows it is rarely that straightforward. Global trade runs on dense networks of contracts, jurisdictions and technologies. A single incident can involve multiple policies, countries and stakeholders, drawing in brokers, surveyors, loss adjusters, lawyers, correspondents, forensic accountants and other experts.

Claims advocacy is about making that complexity manageable. It bridges the gap between how global businesses operate and how insurance is written and interpreted. In a world where simplicity can no longer be taken for granted, advocacy is how we deliver it.

A different client, a different risk

Marine insurance rightly takes pride in its history, but today’s client bears little resemblance to the client of 1906. Economies have globalised. Supply chains span continents and rely on lean inventory models.

In the past, delay claims often focused on perishables spoiling in transit or Christmas stock missing the autumn retail window. Today, we are just as focused on high value technology components – semiconductor chips or critical electronics assemblies – that can lose market relevance or compatibility in a short period. The commercial impact of delay has shifted from missed seasons to potential obsolescence.

At the same time, marine assets are larger, more specialised and more expensive. Risk management, compliance and finance are data driven. Wordings have evolved, coverages have expanded and new exposures continue to emerge. Against that backdrop, every claim is a test of the industry’s value.

Interconnected risks, sharper expectations

Recent geopolitical tensions have underlined how intertwined today’s businesses are. Route disruptions, security concerns, sanctions, changing freight patterns and insurance restrictions show that few supply chains are insulated. A regional issue can alter voyage plans, contract performance, cash flow and risk profiles across multiple continents.

For many clients, this has been a wake up call. Exposures are broader, more interdependent and more volatile than they appear on paper. Clients now expect insurance to respond in a way that reflects those realities, not only at the point of claim but in how coverage is maintained.

They look for:

• Clear, business oriented explanations of coverage positions
• Processes that move at the speed of their operations
• Policy responses that reflect how their business is actually transacted

Closing the gap between underwriting and reality

A recurring source of friction is the gap between how the risk was underwritten and how the insured operates.

Understanding a client’s risk means understanding trade routes, Incoterms, contractual risk transfers, subcontracted logistics, project schedules and how delay or damage affects cash flow and obligations. It also means keeping pace with change: new markets, commodities, structures, acquisitions and technology. If coverage is not reviewed in step, it drifts away from the underlying risk.

Even sophisticated clients do not live in policy wordings every day. If the industry cannot explain coverage in straightforward, practical terms, misunderstandings are inevitable – and they tend to surface at the worst possible time.

What claims advocacy does in practice

To meet expectations, claims handling must match the complexity of our clients’ businesses. That means looking beyond narrow labels such as “property damage” versus “commercial decision” and taking a rounded view of the loss.

Effective advocacy considers:

• How the client operates and their contractual relationships
• What was under their care, custody and control at the point of loss
• Whether a genuine financial loss has arisen and how it relates to a covered peril
• How the loss connects to declared values and sums insured
• What the policy was intended to achieve

Ideally, claims teams are involved early in the underwriting process so these points are aligned from the start. Technical analysis remains critical, but it is stronger when combined with reasonableness, commercial awareness and a clear understanding of the client’s reality.

In practice, advocacy translates the facts of a loss into insurance language. It identifies which policies may respond – cargo, hull, P&I, liability, construction, delay and others – and separates the heads of claim. It explains why specific documents are required, and sets out concepts such as general average, mitigation, warranties and notice requirements in plain language with clear timelines and actions.

For underwriters, a strong advocacy process helps deliver on the promise made at placement. It focuses on the intent of the cover and the information provided at inception, and frames technical debates within the commercial context: the client’s good faith, the operational pressure they are under and the wider relationship.

Using data and experience to shape the market

Claims advocacy is also about understanding carriers and working closely with brokers, informed by feedback from clients and claims teams and by data and analytics on claims experience. The role is to guide clients and the placing process towards the most appropriate markets – those with the strength, depth and subject-matter expertise to respond effectively, and with the authority and appetite to engage constructively on the “grey areas” when situations arise.

Performance, speed of payment, dispute patterns and communication quality now feed into how we select carriers, design panels and structure placements. Relationships and networks still matter, but they are strengthened by analytics, AI and technical capabilities that benchmark behaviour and align underwriting and claims.

Over time, this supports a more responsive, transparent and disciplined marine insurance marketplace.

Good faith at the core

At the core of all of this lies utmost good faith and the promise to restore, within the contract, the insured’s financial position.

A disciplined claims advocacy approach serves all parties:

• For clients, it provides clarity and control in moments of disruption.
• For insurers, it produces better structured submissions, clearer fact patterns and fewer surprises, enabling faster, more robust decisions.
• For the market, it strengthens trust in marine insurance as an enabler of global trade, not just a regulatory requirement.

We cannot remove complexity from global commerce or the geopolitical volatility that shapes it. We can, however, choose to make marine claims as simple, transparent, competent and fair as possible. Claims advocacy is the mechanism that turns that choice into practice.

Talk to our team