Dock insurance rises before the tide does.

Commercial property premiums along the Alderney waterfront are expected to rise between 18 and 43 percent, according to renewal letters reviewed by the Tree, following a fire that damaged three warehouses and improved the vocabulary of every underwriter in the city.

Policies now distinguish between water-adjacent, port-active and historically combustible property. Brokers say the categories reflect modern modeling. Owners say they reflect the direction from which an insurer can see smoke.

The Port Authority maintains that fire suppression systems operated as designed. Records show the nearest hydrant was under inspection and the second-nearest was behind a shipping container listed in a different yard.

Freight operators have begun moving high-value cargo inland overnight. That shift has increased demand for guarded storage, short-haul trucking and explanations to customers whose goods remain at sea.

State regulators requested data from five carriers. The carriers requested extensions from the state. Both sides described the exchange as prompt.