Traffic and Transport

The world of logistics is a rapidly changing world where a balance between capital and return is required.   Logistics is interrelated with every sale or transaction involving transfer of assets at distance. A-LAW International provides comprehensive legal support in the field of transport and shipping, storage and handling, import and export, customs and excise, liability and insurance claims, seizure and arrest of goods, vessels and so on.

Logistics law is familiar territory for A-LAW with one of the Managing Partner originating from the marine insurance industry, while others gained experience in the customs world and import and export business.

A-LAW provides focused advice on the legislations applicable to the different modes of transportation and on logistics: maritime, road, rail, inland waterways, air, courier, multimodal , supply chain, stock and transit, and this both on claims and  liabilities.  This comprehends the assessment of the related insurances as the Antwerp marine insurance policy, ICC cargo, hull & machinery, charterer liability, stock & transit, DSU (delay in start-up) and business interruption, Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) , Multimodal Transport Operator (MTO), ship construction and so on.

Logistics agreements know a wide variety of forms whereby the service levels are a differentiating factor as well as its tailor made approach.  Although agreements on transport and logistics need specific legal assessment, the knowledge of the underlying regulatory framework applicable to domestic and international sales, transfer of property and risk and the INCO terms remain as important.

In the field of logistics specific regulations, provisions, standard terms and conditions are applicable.  These relate to, amongst others, shortened prescription periods (also called time bar), limitation of liabilities, priority of compulsory legislation, validity of standard terms and conditions, and so on.

The term logistics is also wider than transportation.  Nowadays logistics include packaging, warehousing, material handling, production, assembling, inventory and the integration of information flow and exchange of data with the stakeholders.

The e-commerce and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Information Technology (IT) integration systems with the different stakeholders : consignor, consignee, forwarder, operator, customs, port  and so on, demand combined knowledge of the related legislations, and is available at A-LAW.    This new dimension in logistics will lead to new legislation and efficiencies assessment in the context of competition law. 

In this respect A-LAW research on horizontal agreements between logistic providers, joint production agreements and so on, deliver valuable insights.  A-Law provides due diligence, advisory and litigation services for logistics related matters in local or distant markets in matters of:             

• Transport, Logistics and Shipping Law
• Port and Port Development Law
• Customs and Excise Law
• (Marine and Non- Marine) Insurance Law
• Public and Government Law
• Traffic Law
• Other