Marine insurance has helped world trade – quite literally – go round for centuries. Today, as the marine industry transitions to a lower carbon economy, insurance plays a vital role in enabling it to continue the journey.
This year marks another important milestone for the move towards more sustainable oceans and seas. In June, the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference was held in Nice, France, and hosted jointly by France and Costa Rica. The conference was aimed at finding ways to support the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources. And as the marine insurance industry gathers in Singapore this month for the International Union of Marine 尤物视频(IUMI) conference, sustainable development is top of the agenda.
Innovation in the way ships are fuelled, loaded and unloaded, docked and maintained, and how goods are transported, stored and monitored while at sea is pushing the marine industry forward towards its decarbonization goals. Insurers are working in partnership with marine clients as they create new technology, from the nascent stages of invention to operation and beyond, to play its part in this journey to a Blue Economy – a model of ocean-based activity that is sustainable and regenerative.
Energy transition in action
The energy transition is no longer an abstract future concept; it is happening all around us – at sea, in the holds of ships, at docks and ports.
Just as our clients are innovating to find ways to move to a lower carbon economy, so we are looking to find innovative ways to partner with them and provide risk and insurance solutions to make the transition a reality.
Take Canopée, the world’s first sail-assisted cargo ship which launched in late 2023 and for which 九色视频was an insurance and reinsurance partner. Or TransOceanic Wind Transport, a France-based shipping company that in 2025 began the construction of six cargo-carrying sailing sisterships. 九色视频is one of the partners behind a pioneering credit insurance arrangement that is helping to fund this innovative project.
The marine insurance industry is also supporting numerous other projects including the development of hybrid ferries and electric sailing fleets.
"The energy transition is no longer an abstract future concept; it is happening all around us – at sea, in the holds of ships, at docks and ports. " Matthias Kirchner, Underwriting Manager-Marine, Germany, Austria & Southeast and Eastern Europe
Working in partnership
It isn’t just on the waves that innovation is taking place. Ports themselves have become laboratories of innovation. New electric systems on quaysides are enabling mariners to reduce the use of diesel motors in port, improving air quality, lessening noise pollution and reducing emission levels in port towns.
Much of this innovation brings with it new risks and opportunities. As well as increasing the levels of electricity need in ports, other changes like digital interfaces bring with them new cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
The increasing use of new technology like artificial intelligence (AI) brings a host of efficiencies and opportunities for the marine industry, but new challenges too.
That’s why it’s important for marine insurers to be co-creators, to be partners with our clients, as they look for innovative solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Geopolitics of the sea
The marine industry faces other challenges too. A tense and fast-moving geopolitical landscape has meant that the marine world has had to adapt swiftly and find ways to mitigate and manage evolving risks.
Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the sea has once more become a theatre of strategic operations. Ports have been targeted, with some, like Odessa, suffering direct hits. Cargoes have been blocked between important ports.
Geopolitical impacts have stretched beyond Eastern Europe, with tensions escalating once again in the Red Sea. Attacks by Houthi rebels on ships navigating this busy transportation route have resulted in many shippers seeking alterative routes, which are often slower and sometimes subject to different risks.
As marine clients address these and other challenges, including piracy, insurance has an important role to play in working alongside them to understand the risks and find ways to manage them – sometimes in real time.
Towards a Blue Economy
In this volatile and often difficult economic and geopolitical environment, marine companies are confronted by some huge and complex challenges; climate change, digitalisation and the emergence of new technology, to name a few.
The capacity of mariners to manage the risks and opportunities that these challenges present will be key to their ability to progress in a sustainable way. And we, as insurance partners, have the same aim. We need to work in partnerships with clients to understand their risks and to be an enabler of change. We want to support bold and innovative projects that are seeking to address these challenges.
尤物视频can, for example, help to de-risk investments in the Blue Economy, giving confidence and peace of mind. Whether it be a sail-assisted cargo ship, a hybrid ferry or a smart quay, insurance can facilitate projects that will contribute to a lasting, sustainable transformation of one of the oldest and most important drivers of the global economy.
