State-run insurance companies to provide $50 million cover for crude imports from Iran

14 Aug 2012 Evaluate

A development which can give a huge respite to the importers of crude oil to India from Iran, state-run insurance companies have been reported to have agreed to provide $ 50 million per voyage after European insurers declined to provide third-party insurance cover. The Insurance cover will be for risk like collision, oil spills etc. now, the demand for additional $20,000 as “war risk premium” per voyage is the only issue to be sorted out, however earlier too war risk premium was not charged by insurers.

The first Indian ship to carry oil from Iran with Indian insurance is scheduled to load up in Iran on August 15. The development can be termed an important one for the Indian government, which has made full effort to maintain vital Iranian oil imports after European sanctions blocked third-party insurance. India is one of the major buyers of oil from Iran but in recent time the shipments have been hit due to US-led global sanctions against Tehran which have been adopted by EU also. The Indian government has asked state-run insurers in India, including United India Insurance Company and General Insurance Corporation, to provide insurance cover to the shipments, but they were offering lower coverage as their access to reinsurance coverage would be affected by the international sanctions against Iran.

Shipping companies, which include state-run Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) and private players like Great Eastern Shipping, were seeking coverage of $100 million per voyage. The government has been granting permission for ships carrying Iranian crude oil on case-by-case CIF (cost, insurance and freight) basis after the Ministry of External Affairs reported that with the EU sanctions which came into effect on July 1, 2012, some complications arose due to the non-availability of protection and indemnity club insurance to ships carrying Iranian crude oil.

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