Round table-workshop "FORWARDERS LIABILITY..

On 7 April 2009 a round table-workshop FORWARDERS LIABILITY FOR SAFETY OF GENERAL AND CONTAINER CARGOES DURING HANDLING IN UKRAINE took place in the business centre of “LIGABusinessInform”  The event was organized by the Law Firm International Law Offices and LIGA ZAKON for professionals of the logistics sector.

Forwarding agents, representatives of the cargo owners, insurers, lawyers participated in this event.

 The moderators of the round table-workshop were lawyers of ILO, namely, Artem Skorobogatov and Nataliya Myroshnychenko who made a presentation created on the basis of real cases from the practice of ILO.

 The debate wound up when estimating the risks that can appear in logistics. Mr. Ulyanov (representative of CJSC Plaske) pointed out that international conventions should be applied to transport sector in order to estimate forwarders liability for safety of cargoes during the handling. The regional manager of the Sales Department of Uni-Orient Shipping Agency Mrs. Olga Kogut underlined the importance of maintaining competitiveness and image of the company, necessity of the individual attention to every client when any disputes or controversies arise.

The specialist of the Sales Department (Danzas Kiev, Ltd of DHL Global Forwarding division) Mrs. Alina Vlasenko told about the control system for auto transportations that had been developed and successfully being implemented in their company. This system revealed the necessity of development of the step instructions as for the forwarders staff, as well as for the third persons attracted by forwarders in the process of transportation. {BR}{BR} Mrs. Katerina Turbayeva (lawyer of Dominanta Ltd) brought an interesting course to the discussion. She presented her position from the cargo owner point of view waiting from the forwarder, first of all, quality services and interests protection of the client.

 The insurance of forwarders liability was also discussed. The Head of the Department on Insurance of Maritime Risks and Cargoes of Generali Garant Mr. Alexander Saychik told about advantages of such type of insurance. However, he noted that it had not been enough developed in Ukraine. An active part in the discussion of issues related to the transport process took the manager of Trans-Ocean Express Mrs. Irina Kharchevskaya and representative of GTC Mr. Alexey Dodonov.

Taras Shepel (partner of ILO) gave some examples from the practice of ILO in commercial arbitrations on cases in which the law firm acted as a representative of forwarders and highlighted the importance of the right arbitration clause in international contracts.

 International Law Offices thanks all participants of the event for active speeches and calls in its activity to follow recommendations and assistance of legal advisers to avoid possible risks and, as a result, incurrence of liability and losses.