This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1978. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

Contamination at this shipyard — chromium, cyanide, mercury, and petroleum hydrocarbons — originated from heavy industrial operations that were well established before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures here span decades and multiple operable units, from building decontamination and soil removal to long-term groundwater monitoring and shoreline stabilization, with further cleanup work still planned. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies covering these operations during the pre-1986 window may be obligated both to recover past remediation costs and to fund the ongoing and future cleanup efforts.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.