From Dark Voyages to Defensible Claims: How Marine Insurers Are Closing the Evidence Gap
Claims teams in marine insurance own two things: the loss investigation and the pay-or-reject decision. In the pre-2022 environment, both were largely a matter of establishing what happened, verifying that the loss fell within the policy’s coverage, and processing accordingly. AIS records, cargo documentation, and standard loss adjustment supported the investigation without requiring extensive…
Marine insurers are struggling to make defensible claims decisions due to the unreliability of AIS-based loss investigations in certain regions, according to new research from Windward. The problem has become particularly acute since February 2026 when GPS jamming began affecting vessel positioning. This has led to potentially false ship-to-ship meetings, missing intervals, and false event records in affected areas such as the Middle East Gulf, Black Sea, and Mediterranean.
Claims investigations are now starting with the question of what actually happened during a defined period, as AIS records may not answer it reliably. The Hormuz closure in early 2026 has created a distinct claims scenario with many unique claim types, such as constructive total loss questions, loss of hire claims, and dark period disputes, all of which require forensic work beyond AIS records.
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