Practical, applied training designed for how marine insurance actually works.
What the CMIP Program Covers
The designation is earned through four seminars, each focused on a distinct area of marine insurance:
Insuring Marine Employees
Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation, State Act Workers Compensation, Maritime Employers Liability, Jones Act, and payroll classifications for maritime workers.
Insuring Vessel Owners and Operators
Hull and Machinery, Protection and Indemnity, pollution liability, charterer's legal liability, and marine surveys.
Insuring Waterfront Businesses
Terminal Operators Legal Liability, Ship Repairers Legal Liability, Stevedores Legal Liability, Marine General Liability, and bailee exposures.
Recreational Marine Insurance
Yacht and pleasure craft coverage, marina operators' liability, boat builder and manufacturer coverage, and placement strategies for recreational marine accounts.
Each seminar is two days, in person, and concludes with an online exam. All four must be completed to earn the designation.
What is the CMIP Designation?
The Certified Marine Insurance Professional (CMIP) designation is the only professional certification built exclusively for commercial marine and longshore insurance. It is earned by completing four specialized seminars and passing an exam at the end of each one.
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For agents, brokers, and underwriters who work with marine risks — or who want to — CMIP is the credential that signals you know this market at a level most generalists do not.
Why Marine Insurance Needs Its Own Designation
Commercial marine and longshore insurance does not follow the same rules as standard commercial lines. Federal statutes like the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act govern how injured maritime workers are compensated. Coverages like Protection and Indemnity, Hull and Machinery, and Ship Repairers Legal Liability have structures and exclusions that standard policy training never addresses.
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Agents who handle these accounts without that foundation are at risk of placing the wrong coverage, missing a gap, or simply losing the account to someone who knows the market better. CMIP closes that gap with practical, applied training designed for how marine insurance actually works.
Who Should Earn the CMIP Designation
CMIP is a good fit for anyone whose work involves marine or longshore risks, or who wants it to:
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Independent agents and brokers who write or want to write commercial marine accounts
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Underwriters working with marine risks who want a deeper technical foundation
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Agency principals looking to expand their book into marine and waterfront business
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Insurance professionals in coastal markets, port cities, or regions with significant waterfront commercial activity
No prior marine specialization is required. The program is designed to build expertise from a working knowledge base, not assume it.
"I attended two CMIP Seminars that broadened my knowledge of Marine Insurance. I highly recommend the CMIP courses to become a well-rounded insurance professional."
Lori R. Weick, AVP, Senior Placement Specialist
Continuing Education and Designation Credits
Each CMIP seminar is filed for 16 hours of continuing education credits and may be used to satisfy annual update requirements for the CIC, CRM, CISR, and CPRM designations. CE credits have been filed in more than 25 states.
For a full list of approved states, visit the About page.​
Maintaining the Designation
Once earned, the CMIP designation requires attendance at a CMIP seminar or Graduate Seminar every two years. The Graduate Seminar is designed exclusively for CMIP holders and covers current developments in the marine insurance market, making it the most direct way to satisfy the renewal requirement while continuing to build expertise.​
Ready to Get Started?
The first step is finding a seminar that works for your schedule. Registration opens approximately four months before each event. Subscribe to CMIP email updates to be notified when registration opens for each seminar.