The U.S. Ocean Marine insurance industry has been hard hit by the economic crisis at a time when its structure, traditions and culture are facing challenges, according to a new study by Conning Research and Consulting. "The Ocean Marine industry has deep foundations of tradition and specialization that give it unique status relative to other insurance segments. Over the past five years, the experienced specialist ocean marine writers have clearly outperformed the rest of the market," said Jerry Theodorou, analyst at Conning Research & Consulting. The Conning Research study, "Ocean Marine Insurance: Entering New Waters" analyzes the performance of the industry and presents the structural and cyclical challenges to the market.