The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out your own premium with the calculator.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The own-damage insurance on the vessel is the heaviest item and at the same time the most conditional. Insurers set requirements on class and certificates, on periodic surveys and dry dockings, on the make-up of the crew and on the area you fish in. If the vessel is laid up through damage, your whole business is laid up; cover for business interruption or loss of catch is therefore not a luxury but the counterpart to the hull cover.
There is also a liability side that has no equivalent on land. Collision, damage to colleagues' nets, damage to cables, pipelines or wind farm foundations, oil pollution and the cost of wreck removal are items that can far exceed the value of the vessel. Wreck removal is also not a choice: it is an imposed obligation that exists even where the vessel itself is worth nothing.
The third subject is the crew. At sea you are an employer in one of the harshest working environments there is, with a moving deck, steel wire under tension and winches that do not forgive. Article 7:658 DCC requires you to provide a safe workplace and that standard does not soften because the weather was bad. We therefore start by mapping your vessel, fishing area and crew size, because that is what insurers accept on.
What does insurance for the fishing industry cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basics
Liability
AVB for property damage and injury, BAV for professional errors.
Damage to third parties
Employers' liability
Care, custody and control as an extension
Your business
Assets and continuity
Business contents, goods and lost turnover during downtime.
Business contents at replacement value as new
Goods at cost price
Business interruption or additional costs
If you employ people
Staff
Sickness absence, accidents and the traffic risk.
Continued pay for 104 weeks
Group personal accident
WEGAS for traffic risks
What is covered
Situation
AVB
BAV
Cyber
Injury to a visitor or customer
Yes
No
No
Damage to a client's property
Sometimes
No
No
Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation error
No
Yes
No
Downtime after a ransomware attack
No
No
Yes
Data breach involving personal data
No
Sometimes
Yes
Damage to property in your care
No
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The sailing area is a hard boundary
Your policy names the area within which cover exists. If you fish outside it, even briefly and even where the damage has nothing to do with the location, there is no cover. The same applies to the lay-up period and to whether you sail with or without a crew. Apply for a temporary extension before you sail and not afterwards; a position report from the tracking system is an objective fact in a claim that cannot be negotiated away.
Machinery damage is almost always an argument about maintenance
A seized main engine or a damaged propeller shaft is the most common hull claim. The insurer then looks at the running hours log, the oil analyses and the overhauls carried out. Wear, corrosion and deferred maintenance are excluded; only sudden, unforeseen damage is covered. A fully maintained maintenance log is therefore not only a class requirement but in practice the difference between payment and rejection.
Wreck removal and pollution stand apart from the hull value
If your vessel sinks or runs aground, the authorities can require removal and those costs are not limited by what the vessel was worth. Cleaning up spilled fuel or gas oil comes on top of that. Check whether your cover insures these items separately and up to what amount, because within the hull sum alone they disappear as soon as the vessel is declared a loss.
The crew is not dealt with by one policy
For those on board, three things run alongside each other: your liability as an employer for an accident on board, personal accident cover that pays regardless of fault on permanent injury or death, and the cost of medical evacuation from sea. That last item is a separate cost that mounts up quickly. If you work with share fishermen or partnership arrangements, declare that expressly, because their status determines which section they fall under.
What does your premium depend on?
Type and age of the vessel — Year of build, tonnage, engine power and fishing gear together determine the insured value and the damage pattern.
Sailing area — Inshore fishing, the North Sea or more distant grounds differ greatly in weather, distance from help and salvage costs.
Crew size and experience — The number of crew, their certificates of competency and crew turnover all count in the employer sections.
Maintenance and survey status — Docking frequency, valid certificates and a complete maintenance log affect both acceptance and excess.
Fishing method — Beam trawling, flyshooting, gill netting or pelagic fishing each bring their own risk of gear loss and collision.
Downtime included — The choice to include loss of catch or fixed costs during repairs, and the period chosen, is a separate item.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your activities, turnover and wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
No. The fishing area is a condition of cover and not a guideline. If you fish outside it, cover falls away for the whole period you were there, including for damage that has nothing to do with the location. Apply for a temporary extension before you sail. Position data from the tracking system leaves no room for argument afterwards about where you were.
Is a seized engine covered on the hull policy?
Only where the damage is sudden and unforeseen. Wear, corrosion and the consequences of deferred maintenance remain excluded, even where the failure came suddenly. The insurer assesses running hours, oil analyses and overhauls carried out. A fully maintained maintenance log is therefore decisive in practice for whether payment is made.
Who pays for removing my sunken vessel?
That obligation rests with you and the costs are not limited by the value of the vessel. Cleaning up spilled oil comes on top of it. Check whether wreck removal and pollution are insured as a separate section and up to what amount. If it sits only within the hull sum, there is nothing left as soon as the vessel is treated as a total loss.
How are those on board insured in an accident at sea?
Through three tracks running alongside each other. Your employers' liability under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code covers the full loss where you fell short in your duty of care. Personal accident insurance pays a fixed amount regardless of fault on permanent injury or death. The cost of medical evacuation from sea is a separate item that you have to have expressly included.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
