In short the answer is no unless stated when you have booked your vehicle shipment. Your road insurance counts for nothing when your vehicle has been loaded onto a vessel unless stated otherwise in your policy. If you would like to insure you vehicle for transit quay to quay then you will need to take out Marine Insurance.
Marine insurance is designed to cover your vehicle once it is loaded onto a vessel, leaves the port and arrives at its destination port. For roll on/roll off services where your vehicle is driven onto and off of the vessel, marine insurance will cover your vehicle against water damage, fire damage and total loss only. Marine insurance on a roll on/roll off service will not cover against any accidental damage.
Type of cover
If you are shipping your vehicle inside a shipping container then you can opt for full marine insurance cover to cover your vehicle against fire damage, water damage, total loss and cover against any accidental damage as well.
As with most insurance you will have an excess to pay on any claims, it is worthwhile finding out what these charges are before shipping. It is also good practice to fill out a vehicle condition report before your vehicle leave you so that you have evidence to show if there is any damage to the vehicle once you come to collect it.
When getting a quotation for marine insurance you rate will usually be worked out on the value of the vehicle and the cost of shipping, it is done by a percentage of the overall value. The percentage will be higher for higher levels of cover such as all-risk marine insurance.
Making a claim
In the unfortunate event that something does happen to your vehicle and you have the correct insurance then you will be able to put in a claim. To do this you will need to show proof of the damage to your vehicle, if your vehicle has been damaged by water, fire or completely lost then you will need to get prove of this direct from the shipping line. Your shipping line will be located on your Bill of Lading which you will receive upon the vessel sailing that contains your vehicle.
The time for each claim to be completed can vary as the insurance company will need to carry out an investigation as to what has happened to the vehicle and where it occurred.
If you have any further questions about shipping your vehicle overseas then please visit First Base Freight Ltd, the professional shipping company based in the UK who ship to hundreds of countries worldwide. With a professional team and reliable contacts and agents, First Base Freight Ltd have years of experience in the shipping industry and as such can offer some fantastic rates.