
Terms & Conditions of
Service
These terms and
conditions of service constitute a legally binding contract between the
“Company” and the “Customer”. In the event the Company renders services
and
issues a document containing Terms and Conditions governing such
services, the
Terms and Conditions set forth in such other document(s) shall govern
those
services.
1. Definitions.
(a) “Company” shall
mean Albacor Shipping USA Inc, its subsidiaries, related c companies, agents and/or
representatives;
(b) “Customer” shall
mean the person for which the Company is rendering service, as well as
its
agents and/or representatives, including, but not limited to, shippers,
importers, exporters, carriers, secured parties, warehousemen, buyers
and/or
sellers, shipper’s agents, insurers and underwriters, break-bulk
agents,
consignees, etc. It is the responsibility of the Customer to provide
notice and
copy(s) of these terms and conditions of service to all such agents or
representatives;
(c) “Documentation”
shall mean all information received directly or indirectly from
Customer,
whether in paper or electronic form;
(d) “Ocean
Transportation Intermediaries” (“OTI”) shall include an “ocean freight
forwarder” and a “non-vessel operating carrier”;
(e) “Third parties”
shall include, but not be limited to, the following: “carriers,
truckmen,
cartmen, lightermen, forwarders, OTIs, customs brokers, agents,
warehousemen
and others to which the goods are entrusted for transportation,
cartage,
handling and/or delivery and/or storage or otherwise”.
2. Company as agent. The Company acts as the “agent”
of the
Customer for the purpose of performing duties in connection with the
entry and
release of goods, post entry services, the securing of export licenses,
the
filing of export and security documentation on behalf of the Customer
and other
dealings with Government Agencies: as to all other services, Company
acts as an
independent contractor.
3. Limitation of
Actions.
(a) Unless subject to
a specific statute or international convention, all claims against the
Company for
a potential or actual loss, must be made in writing and received by the
Company,
within 90 days of the
event giving rise to claim; the
failure to give the Company timely
notice shall be a complete defense to any suit or action commenced by
Customer.
(b) All suits against
Company must be filed and properly served on Company as follows:
(i) For claims
arising out of ocean transportation, within one year
year from the date of the loss;
(ii) For claims
arising out of air transportation, within 2 years from the date
of the loss;
(iii) For claims
arising out of the preparation and/or submission of an import
entry(s), within 75 days
from the date of liquidation of the entry(s);
(iv) For any and all
other claims of any other type, within 2 years from the date of the
loss or
damage.
4. No Liability For
The Selection or Services of Third Parties and/or Routes. Unless services are performed
by persons
or firms engaged pursuant to express written instructions from the
Customer,
Company shall use reasonable care in its selection of third parties, or
in
selecting the means, route and procedure to be followed in the
handling,
transportation, clearance and delivery of the shipment; advice by the
Company
that a particular person or firm has been selected to render services
with
respect to the goods, shall not be construed to mean that the Company
warrants
or represents that such person or firm will render such services nor
does
Company assume responsibility or liability for any actions(s) and/or
inaction(s) of such third parties and/or its agents, and shall not be
liable
for any delay or loss of any kind, which occurs while a shipment is in
the
custody or control of a third party or the agent of a third party; all
claims
in connection with the Act of a third party shall be brought solely
against
such party and/or its agents; in connection with any such claim, the
Company
shall reasonably cooperate with the Customer, which shall be liable for
any
charges or costs incurred by the Company.
5. Quotations Not
Binding. Quotations
as to
fees, rates of duty, freight charges, insurance premiums or other
charges given
by the Company to the Customer are for informational purposes only and
are
subject to change without notice; no quotation shall be binding upon
the
Company unless the Company in writing agrees to undertake the handling
or
transportation of the shipment at a specific rate or amount set forth
in the
quotation and payment arrangements are agreed to between the Company
and the
Customer.
6. Reliance On
Information Furnished.
(a) Customer
acknowledges that it is required to review all documents and
declarations
prepared and/or filed with U.S. Customs & Border Protection, other
Government Agency and/or third parties, and will immediately advise the
Company
of any errors, discrepancies, incorrect statements, or omissions on any
declaration or other submission filed on Customers behalf;
(b) In preparing and
submitting customs entries, export declarations, applications, security
filings, documentation and/or other required data, the Company relies
on the
correctness of all documentation, whether in written or electronic
format, and
all information furnished by Customer; Customer shall use reasonable
care to
ensure the correctness of all such information and shall indemnify and
hold the
Company harmless from any and all claims asserted and/or liability or
losses
suffered by reason of the Customerʹs failure to disclose
information or any incorrect, incomplete or
false statement by the Customer or its agent, representative or
contractor upon
which the Company reasonably relied. The Customer agrees that the
Customer has
an affirmative non-delegable duty to disclose any and all information
required
to import, export or enter the goods.
7. Declaring Higher
Value To Third Parties. Third parties to whom the goods
are entrusted may limit liability
for loss or damage; the Company will request excess valuation coverage
only
upon specific written
instructions from the Customer, which must
agree to pay any charges therefore; in the absence of written
instructions or
the refusal of the third party to agree to a higher declared value, at
Company’s discretion, the goods may be tendered to the third party,
subject to
the terms of the third party’s limitations of liability and/or terms
and conditions
of service.
8. Insurance. Unless requested to do so in
writing and
confirmed to Customer in writing, Company is under no obligation to
procure
insurance on Customer’s behalf; in all cases, Customer shall pay all
premiums
and costs in connection with procuring requested insurance.
9. Disclaimers;
Limitation of Liability.
(a) Except as
specifically set forth herein, Company makes no express or implied
warranties
in connection with its services;
(b) In connection
with all services performed by the Company, Customer may obtain
additional
liability coverage, up to the actual or declared value of the shipment
or
transaction, by requesting such coverage and agreeing to make payment
therefor,
which request must be confirmed in writing by the Company prior to
rendering
services for the covered transaction(s).
(c) In the absence of
additional coverage under (b) above, the Company’s liability shall be
limited
to the following:
(i) where the claim arises from
activities other than those
relating to customs business,
$ 50.00 per shipment
or transaction, or
(ii) where the claim
arises from activities relating to “Customs business,”
$ 50.00 per entry or
the amount of brokerage fees paid to Company
for the entry,
whichever is less;
(d) In no event shall
Company be liable or responsible for consequential, indirect,
incidental,
statutory or punitive damages, even if it has been put on notice of the
possibility of such damages, or for the acts of third parties.
10. Advancing Money. All charges must be paid by
Customer in
advance unless the Company agrees in writing to extend credit to
customer; the
granting of credit to a Customer in connection with a particular
transaction
shall not be considered a waiver of this provision by the Company.
11. Indemnification/Hold
Harmless. The
Customer agrees
to indemnify, defend, and hold the Company harmless from any claims
and/or
liability, fines, penalties and/or attorneys’ fees arising from the
importation
or exportation of customers merchandise and/or any conduct of the
Customer,
including but not limited to the inaccuracy of entry, export or
security data
supplied by Customer or its agent or representative, which violates any
Federal, State and/or other laws, and further agrees to indemnify and
hold the
Company harmless against any and all liability, loss, damages, costs,
claims,
penalties, fines and/or expenses, including but not limited to
reasonable
attorney’s fees, which the Company may hereafter incur, suffer or be
required
to pay by reason of such claims; in the event that any claim, suit or
proceeding is brought against the Company, it shall give notice in
writing to
the Customer by mail at its address on file with the Company.
12. C.O.D. or Cash
Collect Shipments. Company shall use
reasonable care regarding written instructions relating to
“Cash/Collect on
Deliver (C.O.D.)” shipments, bank drafts, cashier’s and/or certified
checks,
letter(s) of credit and other similar payment documents and/or
instructions
regarding collection of monies but shall not have liability if the bank
or
consignee refuses to pay for the shipment.
13. Costs of Collection. In any dispute involving monies
owed to Company, the Company shall
be entitled to all costs of collection, including reasonable attorney’s
fees
and interest at 15% per annum or the highest rate allowed by law,
whichever is less
unless a lower amount is agreed to by Company.
14. General Lien and
Right To Sell Customer’s Property.
(a) Company shall
have a general and continuing lien on any and all property of Customer
coming
into Company’s actual or constructive possession or control for monies
owed to
Company with regard to the shipment on which the lien is claimed, a
prior
shipment(s) and/or both;
(b) Company shall
provide written notice to Customer of its intent to exercise such lien,
the
exact amount of monies due and owing, as well as any on-going storage
or other
charges; Customer shall notify all parties having an interest in its
shipment(s) of Company’s rights and/or the exercise of such lien.
(c) Unless, within
thirty days of receiving notice of lien, Customer posts cash or letter
of
credit at sight, or, if the amount due is in dispute, an acceptable
bond equal
to 110% of the value of the total amount due, in favor of Company,
guaranteeing
payment of the monies owed, plus all storage charges accrued or to be
accrued,
Company shall have the right to sell such shipment(s) at public or
private sale
or auction and any net proceeds remaining thereafter shall be refunded
to
Customer.
15. No Duty To
Maintain Records For Customer. Customer acknowledges that
pursuant to Sections 508 and 509 of the
Tariff Act, as amended, (19 USC §1508 and 1509) it has the duty and is
solely
liable for maintaining all records required under the Customs and/or
other Laws
and Regulations of the United States; unless otherwise agreed to in
writing,
the Company shall only keep such records that it is required to
maintain by
Statute(s) and/or Regulation(s), but not act as a “recordkeeper” or
“recordkeeping agent” for Customer.
16. Obtaining Binding
Rulings, Filing Protests, etc. Unless requested by Customer in
writing and agreed to by Company
in writing, Company shall be under no obligation to undertake any pre-
or post
Customs release action, including, but not limited to, obtaining
binding
rulings, advising of liquidations, filing of petition(s) and/or
protests, etc.
17. Preparation and
Issuance of Bills of Lading. Where Company prepares and/or
issues a bill of lading, Company
shall be under no obligation to specify thereon the number of pieces,
packages
and/or cartons, etc.; unless specifically requested to do so in writing
by
Customer or its agent and Customer agrees to pay for same, Company
shall rely
upon and use the cargo weight supplied by Customer.
18. No Modification
or Amendment Unless Written. These terms and conditions of
service may only be modified,
altered or amended in writing signed by both Customer and Company; any
attempt
to unilaterally modify, alter or amend same shall be null and void.
19. Compensation of
Company. The
compensation of
the Company for its services shall be included with and is in addition
to the
rates and charges of all carriers and other agencies selected by the
Company to
transport and deal with the goods and such compensation shall be
exclusive of
any brokerage, commissions, dividends, or other revenue received by the
Company
from carriers, insurers and others in connection with the shipment. On
ocean
exports, upon request, the Company shall provide a detailed breakout of
the
components of all charges assessed and a true copy of each pertinent
document
relating to these charges. In any referral for collection or action
against the
Customer for monies due the Company, upon recovery by
the Company, the Customer shall
pay the expenses of collection
and/or litigation, including a reasonable attorney fee.
20. Severability. In the event any Paragraph(s)
and/or
portion(s) hereof is found to be invalid and/or unenforceable, then in
such
event the remainder hereof shall remain in full force and effect.
Company’s
decision to waive any provision herein, either by conduct or otherwise,
shall
not be deemed to be a further or continuing waiver of such provision or
to
otherwise waive or invalidate any other provision herein.
21. Governing Law;
Consent to Jurisdiction and Venue. These terms and conditions of
service and the relationship of the
parties shall be construed according to the laws of the State of New
York without
giving consideration to principals of conflict of law.
Customer and Company
(a) irrevocably
consent to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court and the
State
courts of New York;
(b) agree that any
action relating to the services performed by Company, shall only be
brought in
said courts;
(c) consent to the
exercise of in
personam jurisdiction
by said courts over it, and
(d) further agree
that any action to enforce a judgment may be instituted in any
jurisdiction.
©Approved by the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, Inc. (Revised 07/08)