# Insurance for harbour masters, marinas and jetty operators in Germany

> On a summer weekend a harbour is full of other people's boats, other people's manoeuvres and other people's mistakes. You berth visiting boats, crane vessels out onto land, store them over winter and sell shore power and water at the jetty. The business itself belongs in its own liability, buildings and contents cover. For boats owned by your own customers, we also act as an underwriting agency (Assekuradeur), which is a different role from the one we play for your harbour infrastructure.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-harbour-marina.php  
Updated: 2026-09-19

## Does our public liability policy pay if a third party boat is damaged during craning?

Only if the policy expressly extends to boats in your care, custody or control. Without that extension, damage to items you have taken on for work, transport or storage is often caught by an exclusion clause. For your harbour infrastructure we act as a broker and obtain quotes from several insurers as such; for boats owned by your own customers we additionally act as an underwriting agency with our own authority and our own tariff.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** There is no nationwide requirement to insure the harbour facility itself; harbour regulations, waterway and state law and lease agreements with the local authority usually do require proof of public liability cover
- **Biggest risk:** Damage to third party boats during craning, slipping and storage, plus injuries on the jetty and in the harbour basin
- **Basic cover from:** Public liability for a small harbour with a crane runs to about 300 to 700 euros a year
- **Statutory accident insurer:** Usually BG Verkehr for harbour and boatyard businesses; the membership notice states which one applies
- **Often forgotten:** Third party boats in your care, for example during craning or winter storage, need a specific care, custody and control extension in the liability policy, which an ordinary public liability policy often excludes

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Craning and slipping:** During hauling out and launching, a third party boat hangs in the slings. A torn sling, a mistake positioning the straps or a tipping cradle can put the value of an entire boat at risk.
- **Berthing and collision damage:** Visiting boats berthing at your harbour for the first time hit jetties, dolphins and neighbouring boats, often in a crosswind onto the berth.
- **People on the jetty and in the water:** Wet planks, loose cleats, children near the water's edge: falls and drowning incidents are the most costly single event and often involve third parties, not your own staff.
- **Storms and flooding:** A storm can tear a jetty from its moorings, while flooding can swamp the workshop and the crane slipway. Both affect coastal and inland harbours alike, though water levels differ.
- **Winter storage:** Boats sit on land in your care for months. Cradles toppling, storm damage to the stored fleet or a fire in the storage hall can affect many customer boats at once.
- **Booking system and till:** Online berth booking, shore power and water billing: if the system fails or is attacked during peak season, it can block the entire harbour operation.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 4, Theft 3, Cyber 2, Downtime 3, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers injury and property damage on the jetty and in the harbour basin, and, with an express extension, damage to third party boats during craning, slipping and storage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Essential): For workshop, crane hall, boathouse and fixed jetty structures that you own, against fire, storm and water damage from pipes. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Natural hazard cover** (Strongly advised): Extends the buildings policy to flooding and heavy rain, a bigger risk than storm alone for harbours on rivers and lakes. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-natural-hazards.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Covers tools, crane equipment, the till and storage cradles in the workshop and boathouse against burglary, fire and storm. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Replaces lost berth and craning income if the jetty or crane slipway is out of action after a property loss during the season. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Car insurance** (Depends on the business): For a forklift, tractor unit or slip trailer used to move boats around the harbour. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For online berth booking and the till system, which cannot afford to go down during peak season. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

We price boats owned by your own customers on our own commercial underwriting tariff per vessel. The examples below cover the harbour business itself, which we place as a broker with several insurers.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Harbour with a crane, jetty and up to five staff, with a care, custody and control extension for third party boats | about 300 to 700 euros a year |
| Commercial buildings | Workshop and crane hall, value 300,000 euros | about 500 to 1,200 euros a year |
| Business contents | Tools, crane equipment and storage cradles worth 80,000 euros | about 400 to 900 euros a year |
| Business interruption | Loss of income cover for up to six months, alongside the buildings policy | about 300 to 700 euros a year on top |
| Cyber insurance | Harbour with online berth booking, 250,000 euros of cover | about 350 to 500 euros a year |

For comparison: Public liability with a care, custody and control extension for third party boats costs about as much a year as two crane lifts for a mid sized motor yacht.

_Indicative figures excluding insurance tax, as of September 2026, drawn from publicly quoted tariff examples for comparable businesses and our own quoting practice. We work out the premium for customer boats from your boat list, since value and engine power vary widely._

- [transparent-beraten.de: public liability insurance (Betriebshaftpflichtversicherung)](https://www.transparent-beraten.de/betriebshaftpflichtversicherung/)
- [transparent-beraten.de: business contents insurance (Geschäftsinhaltsversicherung)](https://www.transparent-beraten.de/geschaeftsinhaltsversicherung/)
- [transparent-beraten.de: cyber insurance (Cyberversicherung)](https://www.transparent-beraten.de/cyber-versicherung/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Jetty** (Small harbour without its own crane, with visiting boats and shore power and water hook up): Business liability, Business contents. Together: about 700 to 1,500 euros a year
- **Boatyard** (Harbour with craning, a slip and winter storage): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Natural hazard cover, Business contents, Business interruption. Together: about 1,800 to 3,800 euros a year
- **Marina** (Marina with workshop, crane hall, online booking and a fleet for slipping and craning): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Natural hazard cover, Business contents, Business interruption, Car insurance, Cyber insurance. Together: about 3,200 to 6,500 euros a year

## The worst day at the harbour

Six things that genuinely happen in harbour operations, here on a single day with a storm warning in September. Damage to boats we underwrite ourselves is settled in house on that policy; here you see what the harbour business has to carry on top.

- 06:30: During craning a lifting strap tears, a third party sailing yacht swings against the crane arm and its hull is damaged. (€18,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 09:10: A visitor slips on the wet jetty and breaks an arm. (€7,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:40: The online berth booking system is encrypted, and the whole weekend's reservations are gone. (€4,500, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 15:20: A storm with gale force gusts tears part of the jetty structure from its moorings. (€32,000, Paid by: Commercial buildings)
- 16:50: Heavy rain from the storm causes the river to burst its banks, flooding the workshop and the crane slipway. (€21,000, Paid by: Natural hazard cover)
- 18:00: With the jetty and slipway out of action, the harbour is closed for two weeks in the middle of the season. (€15,000, Paid by: Business interruption)

**Damage so far:** €98,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Get written confirmation that your public liability policy includes a care, custody and control extension for third party boats, otherwise your biggest exposure is often excluded.
- Keep a craning log recording condition, time and the boat owner's signature. It is your most important evidence in a claim.
- Insure any jetty structures you own against flooding and heavy rain as well as storm.
- Agree an excess and clear cradle storage rules with customers in the winter storage contract, which reduces disputes when something goes wrong.
- Check lease agreements with the local authority for required liability limits and name them as an additional insured where required.
- Register forklifts and slip trailers explicitly on your motor policy, since an ordinary public liability policy often does not cover them.
- Ask us about boats owned by your own customers. We underwrite those directly and handle the claims ourselves.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **Two roles, kept clearly apart:** For your harbour infrastructure, that is the jetty, buildings, liability and vehicles, we act as a broker and obtain quotes from several insurers. For boats owned by your own customers we additionally act as an underwriting agency with our own authority, but not for the facility itself.
- **We know harbour life:** Craning season, winter storage, visiting boats at the weekend: our decades of in house claims files on boats show us where losses actually happen in harbour operations.
- **One point of contact for both sides:** Insure your harbour business with us and refer your customers to our boat cover, and you speak to the same number when something goes wrong, without going between two different insurers.
- **A family business on the water since 1989:** We make our living from boats and know the rhythm of a season. You get fixed contacts who answer the phone even on a storm weekend.

## FAQ

### Does a harbour in Germany have to be insured?

There is no nationwide legal requirement for the harbour facility. Harbour regulations, waterway law and lease agreements with the local authority usually do require proof of public liability cover, and without it, damage to a third party boat during craning would not be affordable anyway.

### Are third party boats automatically covered under our ordinary public liability policy?

Not automatically. Items you take on for work, transport or storage, for example during craning or winter storage, fall under a so called care, custody and control clause and need an explicit extension in the policy.

### Does NAMMERT also insure the jetty structure itself?

Yes, as a broker we obtain quotes from several insurers for that, for example buildings, flood and contents cover. We act as an underwriting agency with our own tariff only for boats owned by your own customers, not for the harbour infrastructure.

### Who is liable if a visiting boat damages a third party jetty while berthing?

Usually the visiting boat's own liability cover. Your public liability as the harbour operator applies when the damage arises from the operation of the facility itself, for example a faulty cleat or a rotten jetty.

### Do we need separate cover for the crane?

The crane itself belongs in a contents or machinery policy, while damage it causes to third party boats belongs in public liability with a care, custody and control extension. The two should be matched to each other.

### What does insurance for a harbour cost?

Public liability with a care, custody and control extension usually runs to about 300 to 700 euros a year. Buildings, contents and business interruption cover come on top depending on the size of the facility, and we work out the premium for customer boats from your boat list.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-harbour-marina.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.