LONDON (Reuters) – The rise of super-sized container vessels and the opening up of potentially hazardous routes through once-frozen Arctic waters pose the biggest new challenges to ships and their insurers, a report said.

German insurer Allianz flagged these “emerging risks” in its annual Safety and Shipping report, published on Thursday. The company said increased use of these large cargo ships, such as the Maersk “Triple E class”, which is as long as four football pitches, could lead to potentially massive insurance claims.

“The claims arising out of maritime emergencies of these mega ships can be huge. For example, just think of the business interruption of ports and terminals if an accident was to block the entrance,” Sven Gerhard, Global Product Leader, Hull & Marine Liabilities at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, said.

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