Importers, exporters, trading companies, our team offers insurance solutions for the risks of damages and financial losses related to the transport and storage of goods/equipment and adapted to their specificities and means of transportation.
Our lawyers assist you to implement your insurance programs, and in handling your claims, from occurrence of event during transport up to the reimbursement and recovery.
Policy types
The French policies in force are the result of ongoing consultation between brokers, insurers and representatives of the insured.
Each policy is a homogeneous whole detailing the rights and obligations of the parties within the framework of the legal principles of French law.
The French transport insurance market lists a set of general conditions according to the modes of transport (air, sea, iron, fluvial and road).
Of course, it is essential to adapt these general forms to the realities of the transport of each and the drafting of special conditions tailored by the broker is essential.
In addition, various types of contracts can be considered:
- Police on the trip for a precise expedition,
- font to feed for variable streams over indeterminate times,
- Subscription policy for regular and varied flows over an agreed period.
- International programs covering all or part of the worldwide subsidiaries of an industrial group.
Documentary credits
The ‘CREDOC’ appears, among the means of payment and guarantees, to be the one that offers both the seller and the most secure buyer.
For the seller, the documentary credit is both a means and a guarantee of payment because as soon as the opening of the credit, he can be certain to be paid by the bank of the buyer and the bank of his own country if the credit is confirmed.
For the buyer, the documentary credit is a guarantee of the seller’s near good performance of his obligations.
The choice of documents to be provided belongs to the buyer and among them the insurance documents must be rigorously established in accordance with the credit requirements.
Given the diversity of INCOTERMS, banks, types of transport and goods, a lot of experience and practice is required to issue insurance documents.
Limitations of responsibilities
Expected by French law as well as by international conventions, the limitations of the various modes of transport are expressed in Euros, SDR * or currency value.
* This unit of account fluctuates daily according to the fluctuations of the constituent currencies (USD, JPY, GBP).
These ceilings set by the laws and conventions make it all the more necessary the underwriting of freight insurance.
For example, on the occasion of a carriage subject to French law, a shipping carrier may invoke the following limitation of liability:
666.67 SDRs (approximately EUR 800.00) per package or unit,
or 2 SDRs (approximately EUR 2.40) per kg of gross weight of goods lost or damaged.
SDR (International Monetary Fund) http://www.imf.org
