Kidnap & Ransom

Protection for shipowners against kidnap, ransom, and illegal seizure, including ransom payments, response costs, and related liabilities.

Overview

Our Kidnap & Ransom (K&R) cover complements your Protection & Indemnity (P&I) and War Risks insurance. It provides a one-stop, comprehensive and streamlined service in the event of a claim, bringing together financial and specialist crisis support to protect your crew, your ship and your operations.

Who and what we cover

K&R insurance covers you against the financial and operational consequences of a kidnapping or ransom incident involving an insured ship, its crew and anyone else on board at the time of the kidnap.

Cover can include:

  • Ransom payments

  • Medical and recovery costs

  • Additional operational expenses such as crew wages

  • Liability for death or personal injury arising from the incident

  • Optional loss of hire following the illegal seizure of a ship

Key features and benefits

  • Access to 24/7 specialist crisis response expertise

  • Comprehensive incident support

  • Optional loss of hire protection against illegal seizure

  • Provides additional cover alongside P&I and War Risks

  • Coordinated response

  • Expert claims and legal support

  • Global support network

  • Responsive, member-focused service

  • Unlimited crisis consultants’ fees and expenses

Why Kidnap & Ransom cover?

Kidnapping incidents may not be covered by standard marine insurance.

Hull & Machinery or War Risks insurance may only reimburse ransom where a ship has been seized, and P&I only covers ransom payments in limited and discretionary circumstances.

K&R cover provides a more comprehensive solution to fill these gaps, providing funding and specialist support during a kidnapping incident.

What your cover includes

K&R cover provides comprehensive protection, with clearly defined limits based on your insured ship, trading area, and each incident’s circumstances.

  • Ransom payments covered up to US$10m per event

  • Medical costs and recovery expenses covered up to US$10m

  • Additional expenses, including crew wages, covered up to US$10m

  • Liability cover for death or personal injury up to US$1.25m

  • Optional loss of hire cover following illegal seizure, up to US$36,000 per day for up to 180 days

Premiums

Cover is arranged on an annual basis for each insured ship. We may apply additional premiums for:

  • Transits through the following high-risk areas:

    - Gulf of Guinea

    - Red Sea

    - Gulf of Aden

    - Indian Ocean

  • Optional loss of hire cover following illegal seizure

Two standard limits of cover are available up to US$5m and US$10m. Higher limits are also available if required.

Members’/Assureds’ responsibilities

Members/Assureds must meet certain legal and operational requirements for cover to apply.

Experts in Kidnap & Ransom

Our underwriting, claims, legal and loss prevention specialists bring deep experience of the shipping industry for practical support at every stage.

With teams in London, Hong Kong, Piraeus, Limassol, Seoul and Shanghai, and a trusted global network of local expertise, we’re available wherever and whenever you need us.

Loss and incident handling

When an incident happens, getting early personal support can make all the difference. You can contact us or our 24/7 crisis partners straight away for guidance.

You’ll speak directly to experienced people who understand your business and can help you decide what to do next  - without unnecessary delays or handovers.

We’ll work with you to coordinate the response, bringing in local experts, surveyors, or specialist legal support where needed, so you stay in control at all times and can move forward with clarity.

Claims handling

When you make a claim, our claims team will guide you through the entire claims process and support you from start to finish. Our focus is on resolving claims quickly and fairly, so you can focus on your operations.