Transport, Logistics and Shipping Law

In literature the legislation related to the modes of transport are divided in Admiralty, Road, Rail, Air, Inland Navigation and Multimodal.

Admiralty

A-LAW Attorneys regularly handles cargo claims and Bill of Lading disputes, and is also familiar with the underlying issues of international commerce, international sale of goods (Vienna Convention), documentary credit (UCP Rules) and so on.  We litigate and advise on charter party disputes and cases arising from marine casualties: collision, allusion with port structures, fire, general average, wreckage, demurrage, sinking and so on.

A-LAW Attorneys provides assistance in the setting up of limitation funds under various conventions such as the LLMC and the oil pollution conventions.  This expertise also includes arrests of vessels for the purpose of obtaining security for maritime claims.

Alternatively, when one of our clients’ vessels has been arrested, A-LAW assists in obtaining the release of the vessel, if necessary through court proceedings

Road

A-LAW Attorneys represents and advises carriers, cargo interests and their insurers in cargo damage and other cases concerning road carriage, which in Europe is in the majority governed by the CMR-Convention. (see also area of support Traffic Law)

We are also knowledgeable about specialized conventions such as the ADR for dangerous goods, and the ATP for temperature controlled goods.

Rail

A-LAW Attorneys handles all issues of carriage of goods by rail (COTIF, CIM), and is knowledgeable about specialized Conventions and Rules such as RID (dangerous goods), RIP (private owners’ wagons), RICo (carriage of containers by rail) and RIEx (carriage of express parcels by rail).

Air

The transport law group is well-experienced in matters of carriage of goods by air under the Warsaw and subsequent Conventions

Inland Navigation

A-LAW Attorneys handles cargo claims with regard to goods carried by inland water-ways, as well as claims stemming from navigational accidents (contacts with floating objects, collisions and so on).

Multimodal

NVOCC and Multimodal operators make us of multimodal transport documents regulating its liability towards their principal. Some countries as India have transposed articles of the UN convention on international multimodal transport of goods 1980, in its legislation.

In other countries the relevant case-law and jurisprudence need to be looked at as well as the rules of priority of the different conventions and its compulsory nature if the damage or loss is localized.  The opposability of standard terms and conditions according the national legislation is another aspect of importance when assessing liability, time bar and so on.

Non-litigation counseling

A-LAW Attorneys have advised clients on ship financing and ship building contracts, registration of vessels, manning requirements and so on.

The group has also advised on the corporate structure of shipping companies and ownership of vessels.

Transport related

A-LAW Attorneys represent clients in a variety of matters related to the transport of goods, such as logistics and distribution contracts, warehousing agreements, wharfage and stevedoring contracts, ship agency agreements and so on.

We also advise clients on regulatory issues and assist them in their dealings with port and other authorities.  

More specifically on transport, logistics and shipping law, A-LAW has experience in domestic and cross border markets with:

• Carriage of goods and passengers by road (Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) and Convention on the contract for the international carriage of passengers and luggage by road (CVR), European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), Agreement on the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs and on the Special Equipment to be used for such Carriage (ATP);
• Maritime law (f.e. the Hague-Visby rules (International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law relating to Bills of Lading), Hamburg rules (United Nations International Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea), Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea, LLMC (Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims);
• Carriage of goods and passengers by rail (f.e. COTIF (Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail), CIM (Uniform Rules concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Goods by Rail), CIV (Uniform Rules concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Passengers and Luggage by Rail);
• Carriage of goods and passengers by inland waterway (f.e. CMNI (Convention on the Contract for the Carriage of Goods by Inland Waterway);
• Carriage of goods and passengers by air (f.e. The Montreal Convention - Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, the Warsaw Convention - Convention for the Unification of certain rules relating to international carriage by air);
• Advise, litigate and handling of cargo claims under all modes of carriage;
• Draft or review of warehousing agreements;
• Draft or review of stevedoring agreements, warehousing, wharfage, ship agent and so on.
• Draft or review of Service Level Agreements, horizontal logistics cooperation agreements and so on