In Brief
An insured purchased transit marine insurance to cover the transport of a disassembled helicopter from Canada to India. The helicopter was cleared through customs at New Delhi, where the insured stored it in a hangar to repair damage and assemble it for flight to the final destination rather than road transport. The Court held that storing cargo for commercial convenience after customs clearance, and assembling the helicopter (altering its character from cargo to flight-ready aircraft), terminated coverage under the policy. The insurance covered only the ordinary course of transit in the knocked-down state, not storage or the assembly and flight operation phase. The insured bore the burden of proving loss occurred during covered transit and had not done so. The Court set aside consumer forum orders directing payment and dismissed the claim.
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