Start with the complete agreement
Review the scope, indemnity provisions, insurance exhibit, owner requirements and any subcontract flow-downs together. A limit shown in an exhibit can be only one part of the obligation. Identify who owns or charters vessels, who employs the crew, who designs temporary works and who controls pollution response. Give the broker the full contract and allow time for legal and underwriting review before bid acceptance or mobilization.
Match each promise to evidence
Create a responsibility schedule for general liability, employee injury, hull/P&I, equipment, pollution, professional liability and excess. For each requirement, record the named insured, limit, deductible or retention, policy period and endorsement evidence. Check additional-insured status, completed operations, waiver of subrogation and primary/noncontributory wording where requested. The required wording may not be available as written; identify differences instead of issuing a certificate that implies compliance.
Separate legal enforceability from insurance
Ask maritime counsel about indemnity and choice-of-law questions. Ask the insurance adviser what the actual policies support. Those are different analyses. A contract can impose obligations beyond insurance and an insurer need not accept a contract merely because you signed it. Review whether project-specific limits erode shared aggregates and whether an excess policy recognizes each scheduled underlying coverage. Make any accepted exception or negotiated change explicit in the contract record.
Revisit changes during the project
New vessel use, deeper work, a different disposal method, design responsibility or a change in subcontractors may alter the original risk description. Establish a process for notifying the broker before material operational changes, rather than waiting for annual renewal.
Watch the related Montridge video
Marine Contractor Insurance Requirements for Marine Construction Projects
Watch on YouTube ↗Questions worth asking
Can a certificate prove full contract compliance?
No. A certificate summarizes information; compliance requires reviewing the contract, policies and applicable endorsements.
Should the required limits determine our entire program?
Contract limits are one input. Review actual loss exposures, shared limits and uninsured obligations as well.