The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse with the crash of container vessel Dali on March 26, 2024, in Baltimore was one of the most significant maritime losses in US history so far. As a result of the damages caused in terms of business interruptions and logistics scrambles, insurers will witness higher claims in 2024 across general insurance lines such as property, liability, and marine, aviation, and transit (MAT) insurance. However, the incident is unlikely to have a significant impact on the overall profitability of US insurers, as the average loss ratio of general insurance is expected to remain at 78.8% over 2024–28, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
According to GlobalData's Global Insurance Database, property and motor insurance claims are expected to account for 11.9% and 14.7% share of the total general insurance claims in the US in 2024, amounting to $200.7 billion and $247.7 billion, respectively. Additionally, liability and marine, aviation, and transit (MAT) insurance claims are expected to account for a 6.6% and 1.3% share, amounting to $110.8 billion and $22.7 billion, respectively. However, with this event, the actual claims in 2024 might increase once the complete impact of the damage is realized.
The incident is expected to lead to the biggest marine insurance payout that is expected to cost insurers billions of dollars in losses. It is expected to surpass the marine losses of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in 2012.