Louisiana Ocean Marine Insurance

Understanding Louisiana Ocean Marine Insurance Basics

Ocean marine insurance in Louisiana covers three things: physical damage to your vessel, liability for injuries to crew and third parties, and specialized risks tied to docks, marinas, and cargo. Aubert Insurance Agency has helped owners in Covington and Slidell sort out these exposures since 1910, matching each risk to the right policy form.

The structure is different from a standard business package. A commercial general liability policy usually excludes watercraft. A homeowners policy typically caps or excludes boats used for business. Land-based workers comp may not respond to a deckhand at all. Ocean marine policies fill these gaps, but only when they are written to match how the vessel and facility are actually used.

Most Louisiana marine accounts end up with a combination of coverages. A tug operator may carry hull, P&I, and pollution coverage. A marina owner may carry marine general liability plus marina operators legal liability. A shipper moving goods through the Port of New Orleans may need cargo coverage that follows the freight from warehouse to warehouse. Each section below breaks down one piece.

Hull and Protection and Indemnity for Workboats

Hull coverage pays for physical loss or damage to the vessel itself: the hull, machinery, and equipment. Think of a crew boat striking a submerged piling near the Rigolets, a fire in the engine room, or a sinking at the dock during a storm. Policies are typically written on an agreed value basis, so the amount you insure the boat for matters. Undervaluing to save premium is one of the most common mistakes we see, and it can leave an owner short when a total loss happens.

Protection and Indemnity (P&I) is the liability side. It may respond to:

• Crew injuries and illness, including Jones Act claims
• Third-party bodily injury, such as a passenger or a worker from another company
• Collision damage to other vessels (sometimes handled by a running down clause in the hull form)
• Wreck removal when a sunken vessel creates a hazard
• Damage to docks, bridges, and other fixed objects

Pollution liability is often written separately. If your workboat carries fuel or works near sensitive marshland, ask about it directly rather than assuming P&I covers a spill.

Timing also matters this year. With Hurricane Isaias approaching the Gulf in October 2026, brokers have warned of a possible acceleration in premium increases if significant losses occur. Reviewing your hurricane plan and named storm deductible before a renewal is a smart move.

Marine General Liability for Docks and Marinas

A standard CGL policy usually carves out watercraft exposures, which leaves dock operators, marinas, boat repair yards, and waterfront contractors with a hole in their protection. Marine general liability is built for businesses operating on or near the water.

Consider a marina in Slidell. A customer slips on a wet fuel dock. A tenant's boat breaks loose during a squall and damages three others. A yard employee drops a vessel while hauling it out. Marine general liability typically handles premises injuries, while a companion coverage called marina operators legal liability may respond to damage to customer boats in your care, custody, or control. That second piece is the one owners forget, and it is often the bigger exposure.

Marinas are also tightening requirements for the people who rent slips. Many Louisiana marinas now require slip tenants to carry minimum liability limits of $300,000 to $500,000. If you own a marina, make sure your lease language and certificate tracking actually enforce this. If you rent a slip, check your boat policy before your lease renews.

One more Louisiana-specific detail: effective January 1, 2026, Louisiana adopted a modified comparative fault rule with a 51% bar for state tort claims. For land-based premises claims, an injured person found more than half at fault may recover nothing, which can shift how some dock injury claims are defended.

Protecting Assets with Marine Cargo Coverage

Carriers moving your goods rarely pay full value when something goes wrong. Ocean carriers often limit their liability by law or contract, and a general average declaration after a casualty can leave cargo owners contributing to salvage costs even when their own freight arrived intact. Cargo insurance protects the value of the goods themselves.

Louisiana businesses moving freight through the river system have plenty of reasons to pay attention. Port NOLA applied a 2.92% tariff increase in 2026, including bulk cargo terminal use fees of $0.153 per ton, so the cost of moving goods is climbing. Expansion is coming too: the Army Corps of Engineers granted the federal permit for the Louisiana International Terminal in August 2026, which points to more container traffic in the years ahead.

A few policy points to review:

• Warehouse to warehouse wording, which may extend coverage from origin through final delivery
• Valuation clauses, often invoice value plus freight and a percentage markup
• Open cargo policies for businesses shipping regularly, versus single trip certificates
• Exclusions for improper packing, delay, and inherent vice

A seafood distributor shipping frozen product, for example, may need refrigeration breakdown coverage that a basic form does not include.

Frequently Asked Questions About Marine Insurance

Does my commercial general liability policy cover my workboat? Usually not. Most CGL forms exclude watercraft above a certain size or used for business, so you typically need P&I or marine general liability.

Is my deckhand covered by Louisiana workers comp? If the deckhand qualifies as a seaman, state comp generally will not be the remedy. Jones Act exposure is typically insured through your P&I policy.

What is Maintenance and Cure? It is a daily living allowance plus medical care owed to an injured seaman regardless of fault, paid until the worker reaches maximum medical improvement.

Do I need cargo insurance if the shipping company has insurance? Yes, in most cases. Carrier liability is often limited, and it may not cover the full value of your goods or general average contributions.

Will hurricane season change my marine premiums? It may. Brokers have warned that significant storm losses in 2026 could speed up premium increases, so review deductibles and storm plans early.

My marina wants proof of liability coverage. How much do I need? Many Louisiana marinas now ask for $300,000 to $500,000 in liability limits. Check your lease and confirm your boat policy meets it.

Making the Right Choice for Your Vessel

Marine coverage in Louisiana rarely fits into one policy. Hull protects the boat, P&I protects you from crew and third-party claims, marine general liability covers what happens at the dock, and cargo coverage protects the goods moving through our ports. The Jones Act piece is the one that catches owners off guard, because the instinct to rely on state workers comp can leave a seaman's lawsuit completely uninsured.

As an independent agency, Aubert Insurance compares options from multiple carriers and explains how each policy form works, including the exclusions that matter most on the water. That matters when one wording difference can decide whether a claim gets paid.

If you own a workboat, run a marina, or ship freight through the river, Start a Quote with Kyle Beerbohm at Aubert Insurance Agency. Kyle can review your operations and make sure your specific Louisiana maritime exposures are addressed correctly before the next storm or the next claim.