May 12 - TT Club believes that there is an urgent need for international freight forwarders, logistics companies and other transport operators doing regular business in Russia to fully understand the extent and nature of the liabilities that they bear whe
Increasingly the services which transport operators provide to cargo owners are expanding into areas beyond the straight-forward delivery of inbound containers, to such functions as cross-docking, warehousing, re-packaging, sub-assembly and distribution.
As a consequence, the liabilities for loss and damage to cargo, as well as third party claims, alter from the traditional norms with which they have been more familiar in the past.
Education is therefore required so that such transport operators do not unwittingly open themselves up to the possibility of high value claims against which their previously adequate insurance cover may not protect them.
In answering some vexed questions, such as whether there is a limit to transport operator liability, why cargo insurance isn't an alternative to liability cover and how careful risk management can avoid disastrous claims during a financial crisis and an upswing in criminal activity, the TT Club says it hopes to assist operators to service trade to, within and from Russia more effectively.
It adds that the rules on liability in Russia can be quite different from those in other jurisdictions and without specialised knowledge and advice, many transport operators may experience a short-lived foray into the Russian freight market.
