Quick answer
Marine contractors in New York build docks, piers, bulkheads, seawalls and marinas, drive piles and dredge, and a standard contractor program does not fit that work. You typically need workers' comp with a USL&H (Longshore) endorsement for employees working on, over or next to navigable water, Maritime Employers Liability for crews who may count as Jones Act seamen, marine general liability instead of or alongside a CGL, hull and P&I for work barges and boats, contractor's equipment, builders risk for the project and a bumbershoot for excess limits. Federal law makes failing to secure Longshore coverage a crime, with fines up to $10,000. We build the full program and match it to your contracts. Quote in 48 hours once your submission is complete.
Get a quote · 754-337-9710 · adolfo@nextguardinsurance.com · WhatsApp
Fastest way to a quote: email your current policies (workers' comp with any USL&H endorsement, GL, hull and P&I), five years of loss runs, payroll split between land-side work and work on or over the water, your vessel and equipment schedules, a project list and the insurance section of a typical contract to adolfo@nextguardinsurance.com. Marine underwriters need the full picture, and one complete submission moves faster than ten phone calls.
Please send your account to one broker. The marine market is small; when several brokers submit the same account to the same underwriters, the account gets blocked and quotes slow down.
Contractors whose crews work on the water or at the water's edge anywhere in New York: the five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, the Hudson River and the Great Lakes. Typical operations include:
Dock-focused details are on our dock builders insurance page.
| Coverage | What it protects |
|---|---|
| Workers' comp + USL&H endorsement | Your crew under the New York state act on land and under the federal Longshore Act for work on, over or next to navigable water |
| Maritime Employers Liability (MEL) | Jones Act and general maritime claims by employees who qualify as seamen, such as crews of your work barges, tugs and dredges |
| Marine general liability (MGL) | Third-party bodily injury and property damage from marine operations, with marine coverages that a standard CGL leaves out |
| Hull & P&I | Physical damage to your work boats, crane barges, push boats and scows, plus protection and indemnity liability for their operation |
| Contractor's equipment | Cranes, excavators, vibratory hammers and tools, including while on a barge or in transit by water when the form allows it |
| Builders risk | The pier, bulkhead, seawall or marina project itself while under construction |
| Bumbershoot (marine excess) | Excess limits over MGL, P&I, MEL, employer's liability and auto in one marine umbrella |
| Commercial auto | Trucks, trailers and the vehicles that move your crew and materials to the waterfront |
The federal Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act covers employees in maritime employment, including harbor workers, who are injured on navigable waters or an adjoining pier, wharf, dry dock, terminal, building way, marine railway or other adjoining area used for loading, unloading, repairing, dismantling or building a vessel. An injured worker can often claim under both the New York state act and the federal act, so you need both on the policy. The federal act's marina exclusion does not apply to employees engaged in the construction, replacement or expansion of a marina, which is exactly what marine contractors do.
The full breakdown of status, situs and pricing is on our USL&H insurance New York page.
Seamen are different. Employees assigned to your crane barge, tug or dredge may qualify as Jones Act seamen, who are not covered by the Longshore Act or state comp. They can sue the employer for negligence and claim maintenance and cure. That is what Maritime Employers Liability is for, and it is one of the most common gaps we find on marine contractor programs.
New York uses its own class codes. There is no single "marine contractor" code; your payroll is classified by the work each employee does. These are NYCIRB loss costs per $100 of payroll for policies effective on or after October 1, 2026, before the insurer's multiplier, your experience mod and any USL&H factor:
| Class | Work | Loss cost per $100 of payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 6003 | Pile driving, NOC | $4.519 |
| 6005 | Breakwater or jetty construction | $2.986 |
| 6045 | Levee construction | $2.711 |
| 6217 | Excavation | $3.227 |
| 9534 | Mobile crane and hoisting service | $3.864 |
| 5222 | Concrete construction for bridges or culverts | $5.112 |
| 5057 | Iron or steel erection, NOC | $5.722 |
| 5403 | Carpentry, NOC | $11.232 |
| 5213 | Concrete construction, NOC | $16.455 |
Source: NYCIRB Classification Digest, rating values effective October 1, 2026. When USL&H exposure is added to a state-act class, NYCIRB applies a federal coverage factor that raises the loss cost, so the split of payroll between land work and work on or over the water directly drives price. More on how a loss cost becomes your premium in NY workers' comp cost by class code.
The standard CGL form excludes bodily injury and property damage from watercraft you own or operate, with a narrow exception for non-owned boats under 26 feet that do not carry people or property for a charge. A marine contractor with a crane barge or a push boat falls outside that exception on day one. Marine general liability is written for waterfront operations and can be built around your contracts. See the full comparison on our marine general liability insurance page.
On land-side and shoreline work, New York's Labor Law 240 and 241(6) can still apply, and whether state law or federal maritime law governs an accident depends on where and how it happens. Your liability program needs to respond to both. See NY Labor Law insurance for the land-side issues.
Public owners, port and municipal agencies, developers and GCs on waterfront jobs usually require:
Send us the insurance section of the contract before you bid. It is much easier to fix a gap before signing than after.
Marine contractor coverage is written by a small group of specialized underwriters. We submit your account once, complete, to the markets that write your operations in New York, line up comp, MEL, MGL, hull and P&I, equipment and bumbershoot so they fit together, and show you the options side by side.
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Most marine contractors need workers' comp with a USL&H endorsement, Maritime Employers Liability for any crew that may qualify as seamen, marine general liability, hull and P&I for work boats and barges, contractor's equipment coverage, builders risk for the project, commercial auto and a bumbershoot for excess limits. Exact needs depend on your operations and contracts.
Usually yes. The Longshore Act covers employees in maritime employment, including harbor workers, injured on navigable waters or on an adjoining pier, wharf or similar area. Employees building or repairing docks, piers and marinas often meet that test, and the Act's marina exclusion does not apply to marina construction, replacement or expansion.
Under 33 U.S.C. 938, an employer required to secure Longshore compensation that fails to do so is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, up to one year in prison, or both. For a corporation, the president, secretary and treasurer can also be held personally liable.
A standard CGL excludes injury and damage arising from watercraft you own or operate, except non-owned boats under 26 feet that do not carry people or property for a charge. Contractors that use barges or work boats need marine general liability and P&I to close that gap.
A bumbershoot is a marine umbrella. It provides excess limits over marine general liability, P&I, Maritime Employers Liability, employer's liability and auto, so one excess policy sits over the whole marine program.
New York has no single dock builder code. Payroll is classified by the work each employee does, often pile driving (6003), carpentry, concrete or steel erection. For policies effective October 1, 2026, NYCIRB's loss cost for pile driving NOC (6003) is $4.519 per $100 of payroll, before the insurer's multiplier, experience mod and any USL&H factor.
Yes. We write marine contractors across New York State, including Long Island, Westchester, the Hudson Valley and the Great Lakes, and in Florida.
Yes, hablamos español. We explain coverage, certificates and audits in Spanish or English.
New York: NYC contractor insurance · Brooklyn · Queens · Bronx · Staten Island · Manhattan · Long Island & Westchester
Marine contractor coverage: USL&H / Longshore · Dock builders · Marine general liability · Commercial marine (vessels & marinas)
Commercial vessels and marinas: Marine insurance for commercial vessels and marinas in Florida and NYC
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