Before anyone puts a diver in the water next to a seven-figure vessel, there is one question worth asking, and almost nobody asks it.
General liability does not cover your boat
Nearly every marine contractor will tell you they are insured. What they usually mean is that they carry commercial general liability. That covers third-party injury and damage to other people’s property.
It does not cover the vessel being worked on.
If a diver scratches your hull, damages running gear, or drops a propeller, general liability is not the policy that pays. The coverage that pays is Ship Repairers Legal Liability, and it is a separate thing that has to be deliberately carried.
What Barnacle King carries
| Coverage | Limit |
|---|---|
| Commercial general liability | $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate |
| Ship Repairers Legal Liability (SRLL) | Included |
| Umbrella / excess liability | $2,000,000 |
| Total per-occurrence liability | $3,000,000 |
| Workers’ compensation & employers’ liability | $1,000,000 statutory |
| USL&H (Longshore & Harbor Workers’) | Statutory |
Coverage is placed through EPIC Brokers with Navigators Insurance Company, Manufacturers Alliance Insurance Company, and American Longshore Mutual Association.
Why USL&H matters to you, not just to us
Divers working over navigable water are not covered by ordinary state workers’ compensation. That work falls under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, which requires its own coverage.
When a contractor skips it and a diver is injured at your slip, the claim does not simply disappear. It looks for the nearest available policy, and that can mean the vessel owner or the marina. USL&H is the coverage that keeps someone else’s injury from becoming your problem.
Certificates of insurance, same business day
Most marinas and condo associations require a certificate of insurance naming them before a contractor is allowed to work on the property. We issue COIs to marinas, condo associations and vessel owners on request, typically the same business day.
What to ask any hull cleaning contractor
These questions take one phone call and they separate serious operators from everyone else. Ask them of us too.
- Do you carry Ship Repairers Legal Liability? If the answer is no, or the person does not know what it is, nothing protects your vessel if they damage it.
- Do you carry USL&H on every diver? State workers’ comp alone does not cover in-water work.
- What are your actual limits? “Fully insured” is not a number. Ask for the per-occurrence and aggregate figures.
- Can you issue a COI to my marina today? A contractor who works regularly at real marinas can do this without hesitation.
- Who is your carrier? A real answer names a company. A vague one usually means a policy nobody has read.
Request a certificate of insurance
Tell us the marina, condo association or vessel that needs to be named and we will have a certificate issued. Call (954) 256-1440 or email service@barnacleking.com.
Coverage figures reflect our certificate of liability insurance dated June 2, 2026. Policy periods run to April 7, 2027 for general liability and umbrella, and May 15, 2027 for workers’ compensation and USL&H. Current certificates are available on request.