Having been rather "soft," or in layman's terms "very competitive" for the last several years, the marine liability insurance market has begun what appears to be an upward trend in the pricing cycle over the last few months. There are, to be certain, several factors influencing this trend. The collapse of marine insurance giant Reliance Insurance Company and its subsidiaries has caused quite an uproar among various underwriters still active in the market. The resulting search for coverage on the part of insureds left in the wake of Reliance's demise has put a strain on these underwriters and their capacity. Also, the collapse of two major Australian reinsurers, as well as others in the Pacific Rim, have played a role in the tightening of the market.