Piracy as an insured peril: Hull & Machinery cover

20.1 In recent decades, piracy has alternated between being treated as an insured peril under the standard marine policies (alongside perils of the sea and other maritime risks) and under war risks policies (with political risks).1 Whether it is treated as a marine or a war risks peril is a matter for the parties and the market, but it would normally be insured under one form of cover and specifically excluded under the other.2