Views of the marine-insurance market are changing but are green shoots of recovery being sighted or just a few weeds?

The big reductions in hull insurance rates, which have been a perennial feature of the market, are disappearing and there are signs the top management at insurance companies are losing patience with under-performing sectors such as marine.

There have also been a few withdrawals, such as Generali recently quitting the London hull market and WR Berkley’s Lloyd’s of London syndicate 1967 pulling out of marine in its entirety at the beginning of the year.