According to Splash247, Japanese insurer Sompo Japan has launched what it claims is the shipping industry’s first insurance coverage specifically targeting economic losses caused by radio interference with ship navigation systems. The cover, available from this month, compensates owners when interference with satellite positioning systems leaves a vessel unable to operate even though the ship has suffered no physical damage.
A growing coverage gap for GNSS disruption
The product addresses an increasingly significant hole in marine insurance as GNSS jamming and spoofing spread across major shipping routes, Splash247 reported.
Splash reported last year that cyber exclusions in conventional hull policies could create uncertainty over whether casualties caused by GPS spoofing would be covered, while incidents of satellite interference have since continued to rise sharply.
Sompo’s existing marine cyber product, introduced last November, covers physical hull damage and liability resulting from cyberattacks. The latest extension goes further by covering lost earnings when radio interference causes an operational shutdown without any collision, grounding or other physical casualty.
How the new cover works
According to the report, the policy compensates owners in scenarios including ships being prevented from entering port, detained or forced to delay departure following disruption to GPS or other satellite-navigation equipment. This targets the economic exposure that arises when a vessel is operationally unavailable but has not sustained physical damage.
| Coverage | Existing marine cyber product | New GNSS interference extension |
|---|---|---|
| Physical hull damage from cyberattacks | Covered | — |
| Liability from cyberattacks | Covered | — |
| Lost earnings from radio interference with no physical casualty | — | Covered |
Policy requirements and rollout
Owners taking the cover will be required to put participating seafarers through a ClassNK Academy maritime cybersecurity course covering cyberattack risks, defensive measures and the safe use of onboard devices and removable media, according to Splash247. Sompo said satellite-positioning interference had become increasingly common worldwide, raising the possibility of ships being forced to halt operations even when no physical damage occurred. The insurer intends to expand the product among both Japanese and international ship operators.
Industry pressure and the search for alternatives
The launch comes as shipping faces growing pressure to demonstrate how crews will navigate safely when satellite positioning cannot be trusted, Splash247 reported. Governments have begun questioning operators on contingency procedures, while equipment suppliers are rushing out alternative positioning and anti-jamming technologies.
The report illustrates the issue with the MSC Antonia, which grounded last year in the Red Sea, though vessel tracking services had the boxship deep into the desert to the west. The ship is pictured above in the article.
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