General Liability Insurance for marine contractors

It covers third-party bodily injury and property damage caused by your upland operations — a visitor hurt in your yard, damage you cause to adjacent upland property, or a completed-operations claim for landside work. It does not cover over-water operations (that's marine GL) or your own crew (that's workers' comp / Jones Act / USL&H).

Yes. A shop where you fabricate dock sections, build components, or stage materials is a landside operation covered under standard GL, with property coverage for the building and contents. We coordinate the shop GL with your marine operations so coverage is seamless.

Landside GL is generally rated lower than marine GL because the over-water exposure (which drives up cost) isn't present. Accurately splitting your operations between landside and over-water keeps the overall program fair. We document the real split.

Most carry $1M per occurrence / $2M general aggregate, coordinated with their marine GL. Large commercial or government contracts often require $2M–$5M limits. We size limits to what your contracts actually demand.

No. Independent subs need their own GL and should name you additional insured. If an uninsured sub causes a loss, you can be pulled in. We help set up certificate tracking so subcontracted work doesn't become your liability.

GL covers your liability to others, not damage to your own materials. Materials stored in your yard are covered under commercial property or an installation floater. We coordinate all three so your materials are protected in the yard, in transit, and on the jobsite.

Once your program is bound, we turn around additional-insured certificates, waivers of subrogation, and primary/non-contributory endorsements — usually within minutes. We know GCs and developers won't let you start without proof of coverage.

Most marina contractors pay $2,500–$9,000 a year for $1M/$2M marine general liability, with Jones Act/USL&H rated on over-water payroll and equipment floaters based on scheduled marine gear. We quote the full program in about 15 minutes and show every market's price.

Yes. Contractors Choice Agency is licensed in all 50 states and writes marine construction crews from the Gulf Coast and Florida to the Chesapeake, New England, the Great Lakes, and the Pacific coast.

About 15 minutes for a standard program. Once bound, we turn around additional-insured certificates, waivers of subrogation, and primary/non-contributory endorsements usually within minutes.

The Jones Act covers crew members who work on navigable waters as 'seamen.' If your crew works on a barge, tug, or over navigable water, standard workers' comp does not apply — you need Jones Act coverage. We'll confirm exactly where your operations fall.

Only upland. Over-water work on navigable waters falls under the Jones Act and USL&H (Longshore), not state workers' comp. We coordinate all three so every crew member is covered everywhere they work.

Equipment is covered under an inland marine / contractors equipment floater (and watercraft may need a separate hull/P&I policy), not under GL. We schedule barges, cranes, pile drivers, and dredges at replacement cost so a loss over water is covered.

Most marine contractors carry $1M/$2M marine GL with a $2M–$5M umbrella. Ports and large marina owners often require $2M–$10M limits plus additional-insured status. We size limits to your actual contract requirements.

Yes — personal auto excludes business use and will deny claims when you haul dock sections or materials. Commercial auto covers your trucks, trailers, and lowboys, including hired/non-owned vehicles.

Often, yes. We have excess-and-surplus (E&S) markets for marine contractors with loss runs, USL&H claims, cancellations, or tough exposures that standard markets decline.

Your marine GL doesn't cover independent subs — they should carry their own (including Jones Act/USL&H) and name you additional insured. We set up certificate tracking and additional-insured requirements so subcontracted work doesn't become your liability.

You reach a person with context, not a queue. We respond within 2 hours, help you document the loss, and manage the claim with the carrier so it's paid correctly and your operation keeps moving.

Marine construction has Jones Act, USL&H, and over-water GL traps that generic carriers miss or deny. A specialty broker knows the maritime statutes, the markets that write marine work, and how to manage a maritime claim.