Standard Trading Conditions
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1. DEFINITIONS
1.1 In these conditions:
Company' means TAQ Enterprises Cargo Services
(Pvt) Limited, 25-A Sir Agha Khan Road, Lahore-
54000 – Pakistan.
`Person' means a physical or a Legal Person.
`Customer' means the person by whom or in whose
name or on whose behalf a contract is entered into
with the Company to undertake any business, or
provide advice, information or service.
`Instructions' means a statement of the customer's
requirements provided by the customer to the
Company in writing, on Company’s or customer’s
own stationery.
Goods means the whole or any part of the cargo
received from the customer and includes all kinds
of packing etc. as well as the pallet or container
supplied by or on behalf of the customer.
`Sub-contractor' means and includes any
independent contractor to whom any part or portion
of the contract is assigned for performance by the
Company directly or indirectly, their respective
agents and/or their sub-agents.
2. SCOPE OF APPLICATION
2.1 Subject to Clause 2.2 below, all and any activities of
the Company in the course of business as approved
bonded carrier and/or transport operator, whether
gratuitous or not, are undertaken subject to these
conditions.
2.2 If any legislation is compulsorily applicable to any
business undertaken under these conditions, then
the Company has right to amend, modify, and alter
these conditions unilaterally as shall be deemed
appropriate by the Company in its sole discretion.
3. THE COMPANY'S GENERAL ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
3.1 The Company shall perform its duties with a
reasonable degree of care, diligence, skill and
judgement.
3.2 If at any stage in any transaction the Company
should reasonably consider that there is good reason
to depart from any of the customers Instructions, the
Company shall be entitled to do so and shall not
incur any additional liability in consequence of so
doing.
3.3 If after a contract has been agreed, events or
circumstances come to the knowledge of the
Company which in the opinion of the Company make
it wholly or in part impossible for the Company to
fulfill its duties the Company shall not be held
responsible for any loss, damage or delay to the
customer or any other person.
3.4 Subject to clauses 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.7.1, 4.7.2 and
4.7.3, below and in the absence of specific written
agreement between the customer and the Company,
the Company shall, in the procurement of carriage,
storage, packing or handling of the goods, and all
other matters connected therewith directly or
indirectly, be entitled to act as the principal or as an
agent of the customer subject to these conditions.
3.5 While acting as an agent, the Company does not
make or purport to make any contract with the
customer for the carriage, storage, packing or
handling of any goods nor for any other physical
service in relation to them and acts solely on behalf
of the customer in securing services by establishing
contracts with other parties so that direct contractual
relationships are established between the customer
and such third parties.
3.6 The Company shall provide evidence of its having
entered into any such contract as an agent for the
customer when demanded by him.
4. COMPANY'S SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
4.1 Notwithstanding anything contained in these
conditions, the Company shall be discharged of any
liability whatsoever, howsoever arising in respect of
any service provided for the customer, or which the
Company has undertaken to provide, or because of
loss, damage or delay to the consignment, or any
part or portion of the consignment, unless the
Company is informed in writing of any such complaint
within ten (10) days from the date of the customer's
becoming aware of the event or occurrence of loss or
damage alleged to give rise to cause of action
against the Company or within two (2) days of the
date when the goods are delivered to the customer's
nominee or ought to have been so delivered in the
normal course of carriage, whichever is earlier.
4.2 Except under special arrangement previously made
in writing the Company accepts no responsibility for
departure or arrival dates of goods.
4.3 If delivery of the goods or any part thereof is not
taken by the customer, or his nominee, at the time
and place when and where the Company is entitled
to call upon such person to take delivery thereof, the
Company shall endeavor to cause to store goods or
any part thereof at the sole risk of the customer,
whereupon the liability of the Company in respect of
the goods or that part thereof stored as aforesaid
shall wholly cease and the cost of such storage, if
paid for or payable by the Company or any agent or
subcontractor of the Company, shall forthwith be paid
by the customer to the Company. In case of any
default of the customer or his nominee to pay such
charges, the Company shall be entitled to claim
surcharge at the rate of 20% per annum and also
extend lien over any other goods that the customer
may have delivered or deliver to the Company for
carriage under another independent contract.
4.4 Except insofar as may be required to comply with the
customer's written instructions as regards
documentation, or except under special
arrangements previously made in writing, the
Company shall not be obliged to arrange for the
goods to be carried, stored or handled separately
from other goods.
4.5.1 No Insurance will be effected by the Company
except upon express instructions given in writing by
the customer and all insurance effected or arranged
by the Company are subject to the payment of
premium by the customer, and such insurance
policy/policies shall be subject to the usual
exceptions and conditions of the policies of the
insurance Company taking risk. Unless otherwise
agreed in writing, the Company shall not be under
any obligation to effect a separate insurance on
each consignment but may declare it on any open
general policy held by the Company for its own
exclusive benefit.
4.5.2 Insofar as the Company agrees to arrange
insurance, the Company acts solely as agent for
the customer using its best endeavours to arrange
such insurance and does so subject to the limits of
liability contained in 8.3 hereof.
4.6 Except in accordance with express instructions in
writing previously received and accepted by the
Company, the Company shall not be obliged to make
any declaration for the purpose of any statute,
convention or contract as to the nature or value of
any goods as to any special interest in delivery.
4.7.1 Except under special arrangements previously
made in writing or under the terms of a printed
document signed by the Company, any instructions
relating to the delivery or release of goods in
specified circumstances only, such as (but without
prejudice to the generality of this clause) against
payment or against surrender of a particular
document, are accepted by the Company only as
an agent for the customer where third parties are
engaged to effect compliance with the instructions.
4.7.2 The Company shall not be under any liability in
respect of such arrangements as are preferred to
under 4.7.1. hereof save where such arrangements
are made in writing.
4.7.3 In any event, the Company's liability in respect of
the performance or arranging the performance of
such instructions shall not exceed that provided for
in these conditions in respect of loss or damage to
goods.
4.8 Advice and information, in whatever form it may be
given, is provided by the Company for the customer
only and the customer hereby indemnifies the
Company against any liability, claims, losses,
damages, costs or expenses arising out of any other
person relying upon such advice or information.
4.9 The defence and limits of liability provided for in these
conditions shall apply in any action against the
Company whatsoever, howsoever arising whether the
action be found in contract or otherwise.
5. COMPANY'S SPECIAL CONDITIONS RELATING
TO PARTICULAR GOODS
5.1. Except following instructions previously received in
writing and accepted by the Company, the Company
will not accept or deal with goods of a dangerous or
damaging nature, or with goods likely to harbour or
encourage vermin or other pests. If such goods are
accepted pursuant to special arrangements and then
in the opinion of the Company they constitute a risk
to other goods, property or persons, the Company
shall, where reasonably practicable, contact the
customer but reserves the right at the expense of the
customer to remove or otherwise deal with goods in
such manner that it deems fit.
5.2. Should any customer otherwise than under special
arrangements previously made in writing as let out in
clause 5.1. above, deliver to the Company or cause
the Company to deal with or handle goods of a
dangerous or damaging nature, or goods likely to
harbour or encourage vermin or other pests, he shall
be liable for all loss or damage arising in connection
with handling of such goods and hereby indemnifies
the Company against all penalties, claims, damages,
costs and expenses whatsoever arising in connection
there with, and the goods may be dealt with in such
manner as the Company or any other person in
whose custody they may be at any relevant time,
shall think fit.
6. COMPANY AS AN AGENT OR PRINCIPAL
6.1 Clauses 6.2. to 6.4. both inclusive apply where and
to the extent that the Company in accordance with
these conditions is acting as agent on behalf of the
customer.
6.2 The Company shall be entitled and the customer
hereby expressly authorizes the Company, except in
so far as has been otherwise specifically agreed
between the Company and the customer, to act as
his agent and wherever considered necessary or
appropriate to enter into contracts on behalf of the
customer for the carriage of goods by any route or
mean or person, and/or for the storage, packing,
transhipment, loading, unloading or handling of the
goods by any person at any place and for any length
of time, and/or for the carriage or storage of goods in
or on transport units as defined in clause 7.9.3 or
with other goods of whatever nature; and to do such
acts as may be, in the opinion of the Company,
reasonably necessary in the performance of its
obligations in the interests of the customer.
6.3 The Company shall be entitled to perform any of its
obligations herein by itself or by its parent, subsidiary
or associated companies or by any other person, firm
or company. In the absence of agreement to the
contrary, any contract to which these conditions
apply, is made by the Company on its own behalf
and for and on behalf of any such parent, subsidiary
or associated company, and any such company
shall be entitled to the benefit of these conditions.
6.4 Where there is a choice of rates according to the
extent or degree of the liability assumed by carriers,
warehousemen or others, no declaration of value
where optional will be made except under special
arrangements previously made in writing, nor shall
the Company be under any liability to the customer
by reason of having entered into any contract on
behalf of the customer whereby the extent or degree
of the liability assumed by a carrier, warehousemen
or other party is in any respect excluded or limited
save where such contract is entered into contrary to
written specific instructions given by the customer
and accepted by the Company.
6.5 Clauses 6.6. to clause 6.7 apply where and to the
extent that the Company in accordance with these
conditions is contracting as principal.
6.6 The Company is not a common carrier and deals on
the basis of these conditions alone. The Company
reserves to itself liberty as to the means, route and
procedure to be followed in the handling, storage and
transporting of goods.
6.7.1 When and to the extent that the Company has
contracted in writing as principal in its own right
and not as an agent of the customer for the
performance of any services, and/or it undertakes
to perform in its own name to procure the
performance of these services, and subject always
to the totality of these conditions, with particular
reference to the value of goods, it accepts liability
for loss of or damage to goods taken into its charge
occurring between the time when it takes the goods
into its charge and the time when the Company is
entitled to call upon the authorities or customers
representatives at the inland destination to take
delivery of the goods.
6.7.2 The Company shall be deemed to have taken the
goods into charge when they have been received by
the Company through acknowledgement in writing
signed by an authorised representative of the
Company or have been released or handed over by
the customer or any person acting on behalf of the customer to any authorised person acting on behalf
of the Company in accordance with any written
direction of the Company for the performance of the
customer's instructions.
7. THE CUSTOMER'S UNDERTAKING
7.1 The customer warrants that the description and
particulars of all goods furnished by or on behalf of
the customer are full and accurate.
7.2 The customer warrants that he is either the owner of
goods delivered to the Company for carriage or the
authorised agent of the owner and also that he is
accepting these conditions not only for himself but
also as an agent for and on behalf of the owner.
7.3 The customer hereby indemnifies the Company
against all liability, loss, damage, costs and
expenses whatsoever arising out of the Company
acting in accordance with the customer's
instructions, or arising from any breach by the
customer of any warranty contained in these
conditions or from the negligence of the customer.
7.4 Without derogation from clause 7.3 above, the
customer indemnifies the Company against any
liability assumed or incurred by the Company when
by reason of carrying out the customer's instructions,
the Company has become liable or may become
liable to any other party.
7.5 The customer shall be liable for and hereby
indemnifies the Company in respect of all duties,
taxes, imports levies, deposits and outlays of
whatsoever nature levied by any authority in relation
to goods and for all payments, fines, costs,
expenses, loss or damage whatsoever incurred or
sustained by the Company in connection therewith.
7.6 The customer undertakes that no claim shall be
made against any Director, Servant or Employee of
the Company which imposes or attempts to impose
upon them or any one of them any liability in
connection with any service rendered by the
Company under this contract and if any such claim
could nevertheless be made, to indemnify the
Company against all consequences thereof.
7.7 The customer shall keep the Company harmless and
indemnified from and against all claims, costs and
damages whatsoever and by whomsoever made or
preferred in excess of the liability of the Company
under the terms of these conditions regardless of
whether or not it arises from or in connection with the
negligence or breach of duty of the Company, its
servants, sub-contractors or agents.
7.8 The customer is deemed to have full knowledge of
matters affecting the conduct of his business,
including terms of sale and purchase with the
consignee and all other matters relating thereto and
shall give clearly understandable and executable
instructions and shall bear all the consequences
arising out of unclear or in-executable instructions
even if there is no negligence or misconduct on his
part.
7.9.1 The customer shall warn the Company in writing if
any goods which are the subject of any transaction
to which these conditions apply, are liable to taint
or effect other goods, and the customer shall
indemnify the Company against any liability loss,
damage, cost or expenses incurred by the
Company as a consequence of the customer's
failure or omission to do so or his failure or
omission to do so before any damage or loss is
caused to the goods,
7.9.2 Except where the Company has, through
acknowledgement in writing accepted instructions
in respect of the preparation, packing, stowage,
labelling or marking of the goods, the customer
warrants that all goods have been properly and
sufficiently prepared, packed, stowed, labelled
and/or markings are appropriate to any operations
or transactions affecting the goods and the
characteristics of the goods.
7.9.3 In all cases where the Company has not
undertaken to supply and load, and regardless of
the fact as to who supplies or provides the
containers, trailers, flats, tilts, railway wagons,
tanks, igloos, or any other unit load device,
constructed for the carriage of goods by land, sea
or air (each hereafter individually referred to as "transport unit") the customer agrees and warrants:
7.9.3.1 That the transport unit has been properly and
competently loaded;
7.9.3.2 That the goods are suitable for carriage in or on
the transport unit; and
7.9.3.3 That the transport unit is in a suitable condition to
carry the goods loaded therein.
7.9.3.4 The customer shall pay to the Company or its
nominee any fluctuation in the currency rates qua
freight and other charges that may occur.
8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
8.1 The Company is not liable for any loss or damage if
and to the extent that such loss or damage was
caused by:
8.1.1 The act or omission of the customer, or person
acting on behalf of the customer, or of the person
from whom the Company took the goods in charge.
8.1.2 Handing over of goods and documentation by the
customer after the cut-off times fixed by the
Company including any modifications made therein
from time to time for dispatch of shipments on
intended flights or vessels.
8.1.3 Insufficiency of the packing and/or marks and/or
labels and/or numbers save where the Company
had undertaken in writing to carry out the packing
application of marks or labelling or numbering of the
goods.
8.1.4 Handling, loading, stowage or unloading of the
goods by the customer or any person acting on
behalf of the customer.
8.1.5 Inherent vice or nature of the goods.
8.1.6 Wear, tear, scratching, bruising, denting and
claims for the cost of repainting,
8.1.7 Moth, mildew, vermin, mechanical or electrical
breakdown or derangement,
8.1.8 Ordinary leakage, ordinary loss in weight or volume,
8.1.9 Claims by third parties
8.1.10 Currency fluctuations
8.1.11 Delay in the release of goods and/or documents
by the Company due to financial default of the
customer.
8.1.12 Strike, lockout, stoppage or restraint of labour,
the consequence of which the Company was
unable to avoid.
8.1.13 Loss, damage or expense proximately caused by
delay.
8.1.14 Any cause or event which the Company was
unable to avoid and the consequence whereof the
Company was unable to prevent.
8.2 The Company shall not be liable for:
8.2.1 Any claim, loss or damage resulting from any
inability of the customer to pay, or pay promptly
accounts or collect accounts.
8.2.2 Any claim resulting from the insolvency or financial
default of the Customer
8.2.3 Any liability, costs or expenses for which the
customer is entitled to any indemnity, under any
certificate or policy of insurance.
8.2.4 Loss or damage directly or indirectly occasioned
by, happening through or in consequence of war,
invasion, acts of foreign enemies, terrorism,
hostilities (whether war be declared or not), civil
war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection, military or
usurped power or confiscation or nationalization or
requisition or destruction of or damage to property
by or under the order of any government or public or
local authority.
8.2.5 Loss or destruction of or damage to any property
whatsoever or any loss or expenses whatsoever
resulting or arising therefrom or any consequential
loss,
8.3 The burden of proving that the loss or damage was
not due to one or more of the above causes or events
shall rest upon the customer.
8.4 The Company's liability, howsoever arising and not
withstanding that the cause of loss or damage being
unexplained, shall not exceed:
8.4.1 In case of a claim for loss of or damage to goods,
(a) the actual value of any goods lost or damaged,
or (b) a Pak Rupee sum calculated at the rate of
US$ 20.00 (Twenty US Dollars) per kilogram of
cargo lost or damaged in international aviation
transport sector and/or Pak Rs.88.00 (Eighty-eight
Rupees) per kilogram of cargo lost or damaged in
domestic aviation transport sector, and/or a Pak
Rupee sum calculated at the rate of SDR 2.00 (Two
SDR) per kilogram of cargo lost or damaged in marine transport sector or land transport sector, or
(c) a Pak Rupee sum equivalent to US$ 100,000.00
(One hundred thousand US Dollars) whichever is
applicable, and whichever of the (a), (b) and (c)
shall be the least.
8.4.2 In case of all other claims the value of goods, or
sum equivalent to freight actually received by the
Company from the customer, or a Pak Rupee sum
equivalent to US$ 10,000.00 (Ten thousand US
Dollars), whichever shall be the least.
8.5 The Company shall not in any circumstances
whatsoever be liable for indirect or consequential loss
such as (but not limited to) loss of profits, loss of
market or the consequences of delay or deviation
however caused.
9. MISCELLANEOUS
9.1 The Customer shall pay to the Company in cash or
as otherwise agreed all sums immediately when due
without reduction on account of any claim, counterclaim
or set off. All such payments shall be made by
the customer against written receipt signed by an
authorised representative of the Company. It is
clearly understood by the customer that the words "freight pre-paid" appearing on the air way bills, bills
of lading or any other documents, shall not perse
constitute proof or evidence that freight or other
charges have been really paid by the customer to the
Company and that it is merely a term conveying
mode of payment and has no relation to the factum of
actual payment. 9.2 Despite acceptance by the Company of instructions
to collect freight, duties, charges or other expenses
from the consignee or any other persons, the
customer shall remain responsible for such freight,
duties, charges or expenses on receipt of evidence of
proper demand and in the absence of evidence of
payment (for whatever reason) by such consignee or
other person when due.
9.2.1 Subject to clause 9.2.2. hereof, the Company shall
have a general lien on all goods and documents
relating to goods in its possession, custody or
control for all sums due at any time from the
customer and shall be entitled to sell, dispose of
such goods or documents as agent, for and at the
expense of the customer, and apply the proceeds
in or towards the payment of such sums on 21
days notice in writing to the customer. Upon
accounting to the customer for any balance
remaining after payment of any sum due to the
Company and the cost of sale or disposal the
Company shall be discharged of any liability
whatsoever in respect of the goods or documents.
9.2.2 When the goods are liable to perish or deteriorate,
the Company's right to sell or dispose of the goods
shall arise immediately upon any sum becoming
due to the Company, subject only to the
Company's taking reasonable steps to bring to the
customer's attention its intention of selling or
disposing of the goods before doing so.
9.2.3 The Company shall be entitled to retain and be paid
all brokerages, commissions, allowances and other
remunerations customarily retained by or paid to
freight forwarders and trading agents in the field of
transportation of goods.
9.3 If by order of the authorities a cargo has to be opened
for the inspection of goods for any purpose whatever,
the Company will not be liable for any loss or
damage incurred as a result of any such opening,
unpacking, inspection or re-packing. The Company
shall be entitled to recover from the customer any
cost or expenses incurred because of the act(s) of
authorities.
9.4 All records pertaining to shipments including
shipper's instructions may be destroyed by the
Company after two years from the date of the
instructions without incurring any liability or
responsibility whatsoever.
9.5 Nothing in these conditions shall restrict the
Company to amend, alter, or replace these
conditions or any provisions thereof without any
notice to the customer or without associating the
customer therewith in any manner whatsoever.
9.6 In case of any dispute arising between the Company
and the customer in relation to any matter under
these conditions of contract, the same shall be
referred to a mutually agreed sole Arbitrator
appointed by the parties in dispute and all
proceedings before the said Arbitrator shall be
conducted at Lahore in accordance with the
Arbitration Act, 1940.
10. APPLICABLE LAW
These conditions as well as any transaction or
contract subject to these conditions would be
governed by Pakistani Law and all disputes arising
from transactions governed by these conditions shall
be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the
Pakistani Courts.
TAQ Enterprises Cargo Services (Pvt) Limited,
TAQ House, 25-A Sir Agha Khan Road,
Lahore-54000 Pakistan.
Tel: 92(42)6363301 to 6363307
Fax: 92(42)6369019 & 6305590
E-mail: Info@tlpk.com
[25-06-2002]
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