WQIS Insurance Company Review

WQIS Insurance Company at a Glance

WQIS Pros: WQIS provides marine pollution insurance backed by the world’s largest insurers. Offers a 24-hour Pollution Emergency Hotline in the event of a claim. Employs a network of expert spill response teams who respond to incidents in the field. Over 45 years of experience in the industry. 

WQIS Cons: WQIS does not offer expanded customer service hours. Customer satisfaction feedback is not available. 

To find insurance in your state, use our national insurance company directory to find the best company to meet your needs. You can locate insurance companies that specialize in your specific coverage needs and get connected to an agent near you.

What Type of Insurance Does WQIS Offer?

WQIS is dedicated to providing the broadest coverage in marine pollution insurance. Whether you need coverage for a single vessel or an entire fleet, the company’s portfolio of marine pollution insurance products can fit your needs.

WQIS prides itself on being responsive to the market and changing and updating its policies and coverage in order to ensure its clients’ needs are being met.

What to Know About WQIS

In 1971, twenty-seven American marine insurers established the Water Quality Insurance Syndicate (WQIS).  Its mission was to insure vessel pollution risks and to address liabilities imposed by the United States through the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970 and other significant legislation. 

Since 1971, WQIS has expanded its operations to offer insurance products in order to protect owners and operators for their pollution liabilities worldwide.

With more than 45 years of experience, WQIS is the leader in the vessel pollution insurance market offering comprehensive coverage, and experienced underwriting. The company insures all types of commercial and private marine risks, from the smallest to the largest fleets, for vessel operators worldwide. 

WQIS covers more than 30,000 vessels, provides pollution guaranties for over 3,500 vessels, and has cleaned up over 5,000 spills. The company offers insurance policies on behalf of 10 subscribing insurance companies in the Marine Insurance Market. 

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What Discounts Does WQIS Offer?

WQIS does not make public any information about discounts or savings opportunities. 

CARRIER Customer Service

WQIS offers the following contact options:

WQIS FAQ

What is WQIS’ average claim response time frame?

After a spill or when there’s an imminent threat of a discharge, it’s essential to inform WQIS immediately. The company can then immediately make a representative available to you that will be present every step of the way thereafter. The company recommends that its policyholders are familiar with the company’s claims contacts and information on how to expedite a claim, in order for your claim can be addressed and resolved quickly and efficiently. 

What is WQIS’ customer service availability?

WQIS offers customer service by phone, fax, and email. The company also offers a 24/7/365 Emergency Hotline for claims reporting. 

What is WQIS’ claims process?

The WQIS spill team is available 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, and can be reached any time by calling the Emergency Hotline phone number. The company provides the following guidance about reporting and filing claims. 

1. If there is a discharge or a substantial threat of discharge of a polluting substance, the insured should first make all required statutory notifications (for example, notifying the Q.I., U.S. Coast Guard, state and local authorities, etc.).
2. Immediately notify WQIS by calling the dedicated Emergency Hotline number. In addition, your policy requires you to do whatever you can to mitigate the loss.
3. If you are unable to make direct contact with WQIS, leave a message with the company’s hotline answering service. 
4. Consult with your broker and WQIS regarding the appointment of legal counsel and other professionals to assist as appropriate.
5. Notify your broker for advice and to review your coverage.
6. Ensure that you have a dedicated individual and point of contact to work with our spill management team to control the event and the response.

In addition to the Emergency Hotline, the WQIS website provides a downloadable Initial Report Notice form. This form is designed to guide you through your incident report, but completing it does not constitute reporting the incident to WQIS. You must still call the hotline. 

Does WQIS create a user-friendly experience for customers?

WQIS offers a clear, concise, and easy to navigate website with a wealth of information about products, services, and marine pollution insurance in general. It also offers a variety of other resources for its policyholders, including applications, articles and speeches, and white papers. 

Brokers and clients can interact with the company on various social media platforms as well, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

Information about general customer service is limited, but the company offers an invaluable 24/7/365 claims Emergency Hotline. 

Does WQIS have good vessel pollution insurance?

More than 45 years ago, WQIS developed a Worldwide Marine Vessel Pollution Policy form in response to the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970, which expanded the federal government’s authority over water quality standards and water polluters. Its provisions stated that a discharging vessel was strictly liable for removal subject to very limited defenses, and also placed a limitation on liability with the vessel operator, which was required to prove it had the resources to pay for the spill’s cleanup costs up to its limit of liability. 

In addition, a Certificate of Financial Responsibility indicating proof must be obtained from the Federal Maritime Commission.

The Worldwide Marine Pollution Liability policy was created to provide potential accidental water polluters from the liabilities they face under federal water regulations. This insurance policy covers losses such as cleanup, damage to natural resources, legal defense and civil penalties, and includes any Certificate of Financial Responsibility Guaranty when required and/or any Blue Card Guaranty in an approved signatory state.

The WQIS Marine Pollution Insurance Policy is designed for:

• Vessel owners
• Vessel operators
• Demise charterers

The policy includes a variety of valuable coverage features, including:

• Worldwide coverage
• Vessel general permit
• Claims for contribution
• Foreign claimants
• Offloading
• Derelict substances
• Other federal statutes
• Criminal defense
• Property ashore
• Automatic acquisitions (limited)
• International conventions and law public vessels
• State law broader in quantum
• Vessel general permit (VGP) coverage

A variety of other marine pollution policy forms are available from WQIS.

Is WQIS a good insurance company?

WQIS is a pioneer and leader in the marine pollution insurance industry. While it has over 45 years of experience, it is committed to keeping up with changing trends and remaining innovative in response to client needs. 

WQIS represents financially stable insurers and works with independent insurance agents and brokers to market its policies. While customer satisfaction reviews are not available, we can assess that WQIS is a good insurance company.

WQIS Customer Reviews

We found no online reviews for WQIS.

TrustedChoice.com's Final Review

We award WQIS a final rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars. WQIS is a pioneer and leader in the marine pollution insurance industry. While it has over 45 years of experience, it is committed to keeping up with changing trends and remaining innovative in response to client needs.

WQIS represents financially stable insurers and works with independent insurance agents and brokers to market its policies. While customer satisfaction reviews are not available, the company has a number of very positive characteristics that can be taken at face value.

First, WQIS provides marine pollution insurance backed by the world’s largest insurers. It has unsurpassed expertise in this market, and employs a network of expert spill response teams who respond to incidents in the field. In addition, the company offers a 24/7/365 emergency claims hotline in order to begin the process of mitigating and responding to a spill as soon as possible.

If you need marine pollution liability insurance, WQIS is a great place to start. You can also use our national insurance company directory to find the best insurance companies to meet your needs. The directory can help you find companies that specialize in your specific coverage needs and get connected to an agent near you.