Shipowners' Liability (SOL) Insurance

This insurance covers a shipowner’s liabilities arising under a contract of carriage where they normally would have cover, but do not because a breach of that contract deprives the shipowner of the ability to rely on rights or defenses that they would otherwise have.  In addition, SOL insurance may cover certain liabilities that fall outside of the Club’s standard P&I rules.

Typical examples include:

Carriage of cargo under contracts that are carried on elected terms less favorable than the Hague-Visby Rules or the U.S. Carriage of Goods by Sea Act,

Geographical or other deviations under the bill of lading,

Ad valorem cargo or other valuable cargo (such as cash or gold),

On deck cargo with under-deck bills of lading,

Cargo being carried on vessels not named in the bill of lading,

Dry docking with cargo on board,

Cargo being transshipped or lightered,

Cargo being stored on lighters before or after discharge,

Extended storage of cargo in a warehouse before or after carriage and other such situations