Westshield Insurance Company places international risk through a network of partner insurers and reinsurers, giving businesses that trade, ship or operate across borders a single policy that works wherever they do — including specialist international cover for gold and diamond shipments.
Our Global Network
Through partner insurers, correspondent brokers and reinsurance treaties, Westshield can arrange or coordinate cover, local claims handling, and regulatory-compliant documentation across West Africa, Europe, the Middle East and beyond — so a claim overseas is handled with the same care as one at home.
Regions We Serve
West Africa
Regional network across Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and neighbouring markets.
Europe
Partner insurers and refiners across major European gold and diamond trading centres.
Middle East
Coverage aligned to major gold and diamond exchange and trading hubs.
Worldwide
Additional territories arranged on request through our reinsurance partners.
How International Placement Works
Westshield places international gold and diamond risk through a network of correspondent insurers, brokers and reinsurance treaties rather than trying to cover a global shipment from a single local office. A policy can be fronted locally in Sierra Leone with the international leg reinsured or co-placed through partner carriers in the destination region, so the policyholder deals with one point of contact while the risk itself is recognised across the markets the shipment actually passes through — customs zones, freight corridors, bonded warehouses and the buyer's home market.
International Gold & Diamond Insurance Policy
Our specific International Gold & Diamond Insurance Policy is built for exporters, refiners and dealers moving precious goods across borders. It extends coverage beyond Sierra Leone to cover the full international leg of a shipment — customs clearance, courier and freight transit, port storage and delivery to an overseas buyer, refinery or exchange — with claims support coordinated through our international partner network rather than left to a single local office.
- Warehouse-to-warehouse cover from Sierra Leone to the final overseas destination
- Cover during customs clearance, bonded storage and courier/freight-forwarder handling
- Chain-of-custody and Kimberley Process / export-certificate documentation support
- Claims coordinated locally and internationally through our partner network, in the currency agreed on your policy
Policy Conditions & Warranties
- Shipments must be accompanied by full customs, export and Kimberley Process or mineral export documentation applicable to the goods and route
- Packing for international transit must meet the packing standard specified in the policy schedule
- Any change of carrier, route or destination must be notified to Westshield before the shipment departs
- Losses must be reported to Westshield and the relevant correspondent partner within the time limit stated in the policy
- Sanctions and counterparty screening must be completed before an international shipment is insured
How An International Claim Works
1. Notify Us
Report the loss or damage to Westshield and the nearest correspondent partner immediately, and to police or customs where applicable.
2. Preserve Evidence
Keep damaged packaging, transit documents and any survey report — nothing should be discarded pending inspection.
3. Local Verification
A correspondent surveyor or loss adjuster in the country where the loss occurred assesses the claim on the ground.
4. Head Office Review
Findings are reviewed against your policy schedule and international claims file by our Freetown claims team.
5. Settlement
Agreed claims are settled in the policy currency, coordinated between our Freetown office and the relevant correspondent partner.
General Exclusions
As with any insurance policy, certain circumstances are not covered. These are set out in full in your policy wording.
- War, invasion, act of foreign enemy, civil war or terrorism, unless specifically extended by endorsement
- Seizure, confiscation or detention by any customs or government authority for failure to hold valid export or import documentation
- Trading with a sanctioned individual, entity or territory under UN, EU, UK, US or Sierra Leone sanctions regimes
- Loss or damage arising from packing or preparation for shipment not carried out by a competent packer
- Delay, loss of market or consequential loss following an otherwise insured event
- Nuclear reaction, radiation or radioactive contamination
- Inherent vice, gradual deterioration or normal wear in transit
- Loss first discovered at stocktaking or reconciliation, with no evidence of an insured event during the transit or storage period
This is a summary of standard policy terms for illustration. Your actual cover, limits, excesses and exclusions are those set out in your individual policy schedule and wording, issued after underwriting.
Currency & Claims Settlement
International policies are issued in the currency agreed with the policyholder — typically US Dollars, Pounds Sterling or Euros for cross-border gold and diamond business — with the sum insured, premium and any claim payment fixed in that currency to remove exchange-rate uncertainty from a cross-border claim. Claims arising overseas are verified locally through our correspondent network wherever possible, so a loss in a destination market does not have to wait for a loss adjuster to travel from Freetown before it can be assessed.
Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
Unless the policy schedule states otherwise, an international gold or diamond policy is governed by the law of Sierra Leone, with any dispute that cannot be resolved directly referred to arbitration in accordance with internationally recognised commercial arbitration rules, such as the ICC Rules of Arbitration or the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. This gives both Westshield and an overseas policyholder or counterparty a neutral, internationally enforceable route to resolve a disagreement without either side needing to rely solely on the other's domestic courts.
Compliance & Standards
International gold and diamond cover is issued alongside, not instead of, proper export compliance. We work with policyholders to ensure shipments carry valid Kimberley Process Certification Scheme documentation (diamonds), mineral export licences and assay certification (gold), and accurate customs declarations at every border the shipment crosses. Policy documentation is aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals, the diamond industry's System of Warranties, and the anti-money-laundering, know-your-customer and sanctions-screening standards expected by overseas buyers, refiners, banks and exchanges — so a Westshield-insured shipment presents the paper trail an international counterparty needs to trade with confidence.
Insuring The Goods Themselves?
Gold Insurance
Cover for gold in storage, transit and export, valued against current market price.
View Gold Insurance →Diamond Insurance
Cover for rough and polished diamonds matched to certified grading.
View Diamond Insurance →High-Value Goods Overview
See coverage, valuation and claims details that apply across all our precious-goods policies.
View Overview →Trading Across Borders?
Talk to us about a policy that moves with your business — including our International Gold & Diamond Insurance Policy.
Contact Us