from Michelangelo Todoro, Marine Underwriter:
I first heard about the IUMI cargo tutorial from my manager, as our company has always been a great supporter of many IUMI services delivered to marine underwriters.
As the first junior underwriter in my team for a while, and having little to no experience in the industry, my manager thought it prudent for me to have some “in-field” experience with a more technical approach. IUMI’s online cargo tutorial was the first and best choice.
From a practical point of view the online formula is the best one, giving you the freedom to decide when and where to attend a lesson, which is what a “working-student” needs.
Overall, modules are very well structured, managing to capture and keep your attention for the whole lesson (with very few exceptions!). Nevertheless, the course is structured in such a way that attendees have all the flexibility to take a break or stay online longer when needed. What I liked most were the practical examples, with a direct link to a newspaper article, or a Youtube video. In-between questions and end-of-module tests were useful to keep you on your toes!
The topics covered are extremely relevant and discussed in-depth. It’s not only a starting point for an inexperienced underwriter but also offers the more experienced underwriter something new to learn - it turned out to be very useful to help solve more than one interpretation issue that the team I work for went through!
Additionally, this training has the merit of widening an underwriter’s view, pushing them to look at topics that are too often not considered or taken for granted.
I couldn’t recommend more strongly to all new cargo underwriters that they attend this training. But it should be done so with the right mindset, as this is no piece of cake and requires a certain level of knowledge of cargo insurance.
About the cargo tutorial exam:
If you’re not willing to put the hard work in with this cargo tutorial then don’t even think about taking the test because it is TOUGH!
The practicalities of taking the test remotely is far easier than expected, and everything – from the TestReach App to the guidelines that IUMI gives you before taking the test to the actual exam – worked very well.
As I said, the actual test is hard, requiring a deep knowledge of the subject matter and a certain degree of interpretation skills. Don’t expect to go through a “Yes-or-No” type of test as you would be disappointed. It is also a 90 question three-hour exam – and all three hours are needed!
At the end, to pass the test is a matter of studying hard and a strong will, which is what made receiving the IUMI certificate such a great personal achievement. I would like to personally thank all the IUMI staff, as their kindness and professionalism made this experience even better.
Wojciech Kownacki, Marine, Strategic Clients' and Reinsurance Department Marine, Aviation and Transportation Underwriting Bureau, TUiR Warta S.A.:
I attended The IUMI Cargo Tutorial between September and November 2018. I really appreciate the flexibility of online training and that I could study when it suited me. It was very exciting to review and broaden my knowledge in respect of cargo risks. I could even compare English and US cargo clauses in detail and the way that General Average is described is very easy to understand.
What interested me the most was project cargo insurance and the problems of storage in cargo coverage. I was able to use new information immediately and put it into practice. It was clear for me from the beginning that the tutorial was prepared by cargo risk practitioners. The tutorial is a good course not only for beginners, but also experienced underwriters can benefit from this package and refresh their knowledge.
The tutorial is divided into 11 topics, each of which deeply explain the material. The process of learning is interactive and requires the student to be involved. You can also contact the authors and experts if you have any additional queries or doubts - their responses are very quick. The issues are described in simple and clear language which is very important for people whose first language is not English (like me).
I am looking forward to the next IUMI education programme. E-learning/online tutorials are a great option with regard to costs, time and effectiveness of learning.
Good job!
Suguru Akimoto, Deputy Manager, Tokio Marine:
The Cargo Tutorial was a good opportunity to go through all the basics again. Our practice is based on English clauses and the tutorial extended my knowledge to the American clauses. Information sources for underwriting, including some from IUMI and some external links were very helpful to be aware of. Through my underwriting career, my specialty has become steel and project cargo. I was able to learn about many other cargoes through the tutorial, and also realized that I have quite deep knowledge of my specialty area when I went through some of the external links. I can go back to the tutorial as my reference source going forward and I am positive to take other IUMI courses in the future.
The General Insurance Association of Singapore, host of the IUMI 2025 annual conference, generously offer a bursary for one free pass to the IUMI Singapore event scheduled from 7-10 September 2025. Students of the IUMI Cargo or Hull Tutorial who successfully pass the IUMI cargo or hull exam are invited to apply for the free 4-Day Full Conference Ticket.