Yacht Skipper Third Party Liability Insurance

As a skipper, especially if you are working on various boats or undertaking professional duties, you need Skipper Third Party Liability Insurance. This type of insurance is essential for protecting you from personal liability for damage or injury to third parties that may occur while you are skippering a boat. It acts as a safety net in case the boat's own liability insurance is inadequate or fails to cover certain claims. This insurance helps safeguard against potentially significant financial and legal repercussions.

Skipper liability insurance, otherwise known as Skipper Third Party Liability Insurance, covers your personal liability for damage or injury caused to third parties while you are skippering a boat. This includes:

Legal Liability: Protection against claims from third parties for property damage or personal injury.

Crew Liability: Cover for legal liabilities related to the injury or death of your crew members.

Accidental Pollution: Cover for legal liabilities arising from accidental water pollution.

It is important to note that this insurance does not cover damage to the boat you are skippering or provide protection for professional indemnity.

Skipper liability insurance, also known as Skipper Third Party Liability Insurance, is designed to protect skippers from personal liability for incidents that result in damage to property or injury to individuals while they are in command of a boat. It is contingent liability cover that activates when the boat's own third-party liability insurance does not respond or is insufficient. This insurance provides crucial protection for skippers who may face legal and financial claims arising from their duties, ensuring they are not left vulnerable to substantial personal losses.

No.

It is important to note that the Skipper Third Party Liability policy is a contingent liability cover only, designed to cover those personal liabilities a skipper may incur through use of a yacht they do not own and for which the yacht’s own liability insurance somehow fails to respond.  It does not cover damage caused to the yacht you are skippering and it is not a skipper’s Professional Indemnity policy. In layman’s terms think of it as a yachting equivalent of a “driving other cars extension” that you might sometimes find on a motor insurance policy, i.e., under a driving other cars extension you would have third party liability cover while driving another car that you did not own, but there would be no cover for loss or damage to the driven vehicle, nor any liability you may face to the car’s owner for loss or damage to their vehicle.  Where our Skipper Third Party Liability policy comes into play is; if the yacht’s third party liability policy somehow fails to respond when a third party pursues a liability claim against you as the skipper of the yacht, or if you are uncertain as to the existence or suitability of the yacht’s third party liability insurance.

No.

Unfortunately, we do not offer Professional Indemnity cover for delivery skippers, nor offer cover for short term risks or one off voyages and we do not have a policy that covers delivery skippers for loss or damage to a skippered yacht that they do not own.

Normal practice when a yacht owner uses a delivery skipper is that the yacht owner would have the delivery skipper approved by their insurers. In doing so, any loss or damage to the yacht whilst in the care of a delivery skipper would be paid for by the yacht owner’s hull insurers in the usual manner under the terms of the hull policy, as if the yacht owner had been on board at the time of the incident.

The yacht owner’s third party liability policy should likewise respond for third party liabilities incurred whilst the yacht is in the hands of a delivery skipper. Where the Pantaenius Skipper Third Party Liability policy comes into play is; if the yacht’s third party liability policy somehow fails to respond when a third party pursues a liability claim against you as the skipper of the yacht, or if you are uncertain as to the existence or suitability of the yacht’s third party liability insurance.  You might like to discuss with your prospective yacht owning client the possibility of having your delivery voyage covered under the owner’s yacht insurance in the customary manner.  However, purchasing the Pantaenius Skipper Third Party liability policy will provide an additional layer of personal protection and serve as a safety net should you personally incur a third party liability, whilst skippering, that is not covered by the yacht’s policies.

Yes, if you select the commercial use option the cover can be available to you, in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the policy. Please read the policy details carefully to ensure you understand what the insurance is and what it covers.

The standard Skipper Liability insurance policy is for private use only and excludes commercial use, unless commercial use has been agreed by insurers.  The commercial Skipper Liability policy is an extension of the standard private use only policy, to also include commercial use. Private use is therefore included within the commercial policy and you do not need to buy two policies.

No it does not. The policy is for skippering yachts and leisure craft only and does not cover trip boats, ferries or other commercial vessels.

This is necessary in order to cover our costs in setting up and cancelling the insurance, so that it remains possible to continue to offer this insurance product in the future and at a competitive price.